Rivers Chief Magistrate Resigns in Protest, Condemns ‘Quasi-Military’ Governance Under Sole Administrator
Port Harcourt | April 15, 2025 – IDNN Deep Dive
The growing constitutional crisis in Rivers State has taken a dramatic new turn as Chief Magistrate Ejike George, a long-serving judicial officer, has formally resigned in protest over what he described as a “quasi-military governance system” now running the state.
In a resignation letter dated April 11, 2025, and submitted through the Judicial Service Commission to the Honourable Chief Judge of Rivers State, George denounced the installation of a Sole Administrator, likening it to the erasure of democratic values and a direct affront to the legal profession’s ethical code.
A Resignation of Conscience: “It Would Be Naive Acquiescence”
Magistrate George, who has dedicated 16 years of his 22-year legal career to the Rivers State Judiciary, made it clear that continuing to serve under the current political arrangement would be a betrayal of his constitutional and professional beliefs.
“Milord will agree with me that this type of governance system is not only alien but also runs antithetical to our hallowed profession as legal practitioners and adjudicators,” he wrote.
“I find it difficult to work with the current setting, as doing so would amount to a tacit and naive acquiescence.”
Emergency Rule Fallout: Judiciary Feels the Heat
George’s resignation follows President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State on March 18, 2025, which led to the suspension of elected officials, including Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and the appointment of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.) as Sole Administrator.
The move has drawn fierce criticism from across Nigeria’s legal and political spectrum. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the PDP Governors Forum, and several civil society groups have labeled the intervention a dangerous precedent, warning that it undermines the constitutional framework.
What This Means: An Alarming Precedent for Legal Independence
Legal experts view George’s resignation as both symbolic and substantive. Symbolic, because it signals internal revolt within the judiciary—a sector often seen as passive in political crises. Substantive, because it underscores the uncomfortable position in which judicial officers now find themselves in Rivers: serving under an appointee of the executive, outside democratic norms.
Dr. Funmilayo Okechukwu, a constitutional lawyer and professor at the University of Port Harcourt, told IDNN:
“The resignation of a magistrate for reasons of political integrity is rare in Nigeria. What we are witnessing is not just a resignation—it’s a judicial mutiny, a principled objection that reminds us the rule of law still has guardians.”
Rivers State: A Microcosm of Nigeria’s Democracy at Crossroads
This development adds to an already volatile mix of political tension, legal uncertainty, and public unease in Rivers State. The resignation also calls attention to the ethical dilemma confronting the Nigerian judiciary: Should officers of the court continue to serve under an arrangement they believe violates the Constitution?
The silence of many judicial officers has so far enabled the Sole Administrator’s continued rule. However, George’s exit has now broken that silence, forcing a national reckoning.
📌 IDNN ANALYSIS
Chief Magistrate Ejike George’s resignation is more than an act of personal dissent—it is a judicial alarm bell, a clarion call for reflection in a system teetering on authoritarian overreach. His protest lays bare the incompatibility between the current governance structure in Rivers and the sanctity of judicial independence.
As Nigeria faces upcoming legal and political showdowns in multiple states, this resignation could become a rallying point for judicial officers who still believe in democracy as a living ideal, not a ceremonial phrase.
