Fubara:lt Is Reported That the Rivers Assembly Has Appealed Against the Rulings Of the CJ- Ekine

The impeachment proceedings against Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy have been effectively frozen, following an appeal filed by members of the Rivers State House of Assembly against recent judicial rulings, according to the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR).

Speaking on Channels Television’s Lunchtime Politics on Thursday, January 29, 2026, the National Legal Adviser of the CDHR, Henry Ekine, said the decision by lawmakers to approach the Court of Appeal has shifted the matter fully into the judicial domain, leaving no room for further legislative or administrative action for now.

Ekine explained that it has been reported that members of the Rivers Assembly appealed the rulings of the Chief Judge, a move that automatically places the impeachment process under appellate court consideration. He stressed that once an appeal is entered, all parties are bound by law to maintain the status quo.

According to him, the appeal has also constrained the Chief Judge of Rivers State, who is constitutionally empowered under Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution to constitute an investigative panel in impeachment matters. With subsisting court orders and the matter now before the Court of Appeal, Ekine said the Chief Judge has become legally incapacitated from taking further steps.

“The jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal has been invoked,” he noted, adding that respect for the rule of law requires that all actions relating to the impeachment be suspended until the appellate court delivers its decision.

Ekine dismissed claims that the Chief Judge’s inaction amounts to bias or deliberate refusal, insisting that the current stalemate is a direct consequence of the Assembly’s own legal strategy. He argued that it would be contradictory for lawmakers to accuse the judiciary of obstruction while simultaneously pursuing relief at the appellate level.

The development, he said, explains the sudden lull in the impeachment drama that has dominated Rivers State politics in recent weeks, with the next phase of action now firmly dependent on the outcome of proceedings at the Court of Appeal.