From Sodiq Omolaoye (Abuja) and Obinna Nwaoku (Port Harcourt)

•Ex-chief magistrate did not resign, he was sacked, Rivers judiciary clarifies

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, inaugurated a 21-member ad hoc committee yesterday to oversee the administration of Rivers State following President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in the state.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony held at the National Assembly complex, Abbas clarified that the National Assembly’s intervention was not a political vendetta but a constitutional necessity to safeguard peace, order, and good governance in the state.

The committee is chaired by the House Leader, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, with Ali Isah (PDP, Gombe) as the Deputy Chairman.
Others are Idris Wase (North Central), Aliyu Muktar (North East), Sada Soli (North West), Iduma Igariwey (South East), and Shehu Rijau. Members also include Wole Oke, Akara hi Amadi, Patrick Umoh, Isa Anka, Isiaka Ibrahim, Abiodun Faleke, Amos Daniel, Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, and Blessing Onuh, among others.

The Speaker noted that the declaration of the six-month state of emergency by the President on March 18, 2025, was based on Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), following the breakdown of public order and suspension of the Governor, SiminalayiFubara, and the State House of Assembly.

According to him, the President’s action was taken out of genuine patriotism and a deep concern for the security and welfare of both the people of the state and Nigeria as a whole.

“The National Assembly’s intervention in Rivers State is not an instrument of political vendetta but a constitutional necessity .

“It embodies our collective duty to safeguard peace, security, and the rule of law. We act not out of partisan interests but in the earnest service of a united and prosperous Nigeria. The eyes of all Nigerians are upon us, and it is incumbent upon this House, particularly on the Chairman and all members of this esteemed Committee, to rise to this historic challenge with courage, integrity, and determination,” Abbas said.

MEANWHILE, the Rivers State Judiciary (RSJ) has clarified that the Chief Magistrate, Ejike King George, was compulsorily retired from service.
It would be recalled that George had claimed that he willfully applied to be retired from service, stating in a letter addressed to the Chief Judge of the state and dated April 11 that he cannot service in the state where there is lawlessness.

George had stated that the suspension of the governor of the state and imposition of a Sole Administrator was alien to the nation’s Constitution, stating that such a decision by President Bola Tinubu was a quasi-military rule.

However, the RSJ in Port Harcourt, yesterday, faulted the reasons given by George for his retirement as a Chief Magistrate, adding that he was officially shown the way out by the Judiciary.

The Chief Registrar of Rivers State High Court, David Ihua-Maduenyi, clarified that George compulsorily retired from service with effect from February 10, 2025, for disciplinary reasons, specifically on complaints of continuous absence from duty without leave from August 25, 2023, till December 2024.