A Chief Magistrate in Rivers State, Ejike George, has resigned from the judiciary in protest against the recent appointment of a sole administrator to oversee the state.
In a letter dated April 11, 2025, and addressed to the Chief Judge of Rivers State through the secretary of the state Judicial Service Commission, George described the development as “troubling” and likened it to a “quasi-military administration”.
“This present is intended to convey my decision to voluntarily retire my appointment as magistrate of the judiciary of Rivers State,” he wrote in the letter titled ‘Voluntary Retirement from Service’.
George, who served 16 years as a magistrate, said he found it difficult to continue in the role under what he described as a system that runs “antithetical” to the legal profession.
He added, “Having put in 16 out of my 22 years of legal practice into this judiciary under successive democratic administrations, I find it difficult to work with the current setting, as doing so would amount to a tacit and naive acquiescence.”
President Bola Tinubu had on March 18 declared a state of emergency in Rivers State following a prolonged political crisis and vandalism of oil facilities.
The President also suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all state lawmakers for six months, appointing retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as sole administrator.
The move was approved by both chambers of the National Assembly amid criticisms from civil society and legal experts.
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