The Rivers State Judicial Service Commission has debunked claims by a retired Chief Magistrate, Ejike K. George, that he resigned from office in protest over the current political crisis in the state, stating instead that he was compulsorily retired for gross misconduct.
George had, in a letter dated April 11, 2025, announced his resignation from the state judiciary, attributing his decision to the emergence of a “quasi-military administration” in Rivers.
He referenced the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the controversial appointment of a sole administrator by President Bola Tinubu on March 18.
However, the JSC, in a statement issued by its Acting Secretary, Blessings Vic-Jumbo, dismissed George’s account as “false and misleading,” insisting that the former magistrate was removed from office for disciplinary reasons.
“To set the records straight, the person we know as Ejike K. George, Esq. (Chief Magistrate Grade II Rtd.) was, by a letter dated 12th February, 2025 from the Judicial Service Commission, compulsorily retired from service with effect from 10th day of February, 2025, for disciplinary reasons,” the statement read.
The commission said George had been absent from duty without official leave from August 25, 2023, to December 2024 — a period of over one year.
Vic-Jumbo added that following investigations by a judicial panel, George was offered a window to retire voluntarily within a stipulated timeframe.
However, he allegedly failed to take the option and was consequently retired compulsorily.
“The above event has no nexus whatsoever with current political happenings in the state,” the commission said, distancing George’s dismissal from the political turmoil surrounding Governor Fubara’s administration.
Describing his attempt to politicize the disciplinary action as “a contrived falsehood,” the JSC accused George of trying to “deceive the public, attract undue sympathy and undeserved patronage.”
The development adds a fresh twist to the unfolding drama in Rivers State, where political tensions have continued to mount following the federal government’s intervention in the state’s leadership crisis.
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