A Chief Magistrate in the Rivers State Judiciary, Ejike King George, has voluntarily resigned from his position, citing unease with the recent appointment of a "quasi-military administration" to oversee the state’s governance.
In a letter dated April 11, 2025, addressed to the Honourable Chief Judge of Rivers State via the Secretary of the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission, Magistrate George expressed deep dissatisfaction with the current direction of the state’s governance. He described the administration as “alien” and “antithetical” to the values that the legal profession upholds.
“This difficult and regrettable decision is informed largely by my discomfort with the recent appointment of a quasi-military administration to run the affairs of a modern State like ours,” the letter stated.
Magistrate George, who has spent 16 of his 22 years in legal practice serving as a Magistrate in Rivers State under various democratic administrations, expressed concerns that continuing under the current governance structure would be a form of “tacit and naïve acquiescence.”
In his resignation letter, George conveyed his gratitude for the opportunity to serve: “Thanks, Milord, for the opportunity to serve.”
His resignation adds to the ongoing tension in the Rivers State judicial and political landscape, following President Bola Tinubu’s controversial decision last month to impose a six-month state of emergency in the state. The president’s move came after escalating political tensions and security breaches in the state. As part of the state of emergency, Tinubu suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Oduh, and the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, appointing Ibok-Ete Ibas as the sole administrator for the state instead.
The political crisis and the imposition of the state of emergency have continued to fuel debates and stir discontent among various sectors in the state.
