Former Chief Magistrate of Rivers State, Ejike George, has defended his recent resignation from the state judiciary, stating that he was not trained to take directives from a military administrator.
“I am simply saying that I cannot take instructions from a military administrator. I cannot,” George said during an appearance on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme aired Thursday.
His resignation follows President Bola Tinubu’s controversial declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State on March 18, 2025, during which Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly were suspended. The president also appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as the state’s sole administrator.
Tinubu invoked Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution to justify his actions, citing the escalating political tension in the state. Ibas, a former Chief of Naval Staff (2015–2021), hails from Cross River State and received his early education there. He was officially sworn in as Rivers’ sole administrator in Abuja on March 19.
George, however, criticized the move as undemocratic and unwarranted.
“There was no crisis in Rivers State serious enough to justify suspending elected officials and introducing military-style governance. It is not fair to the people of Rivers State,” he asserted.
Explaining his decision to resign, George said: “My reason is simple — I cannot adapt to the military-style of adjudication that may come with the appointment of a sole administrator. Our courts are courts of summary jurisdiction, and our proceedings are guided by civil principles. Traditionally, we take directives from the Chief Judge of Rivers State, who in turn coordinates with the elected governor, the chief security officer of the state. That’s the structure I’ve known for 16 years.”
He continued: “In all my years on the bench, I’ve worked under civilian administrations. I don’t know how I’m expected to adjust to taking instructions from a military administrator. It’s unfamiliar, it’s strange, and we’ve had no training for such a transition.”
George emphasized that his resignation was an act of principle: “I’m not the type to keep quiet when things don’t feel right. So I chose to step down and move on with my life.”
He also pushed back against claims made by the Rivers State Judicial Commission that he had merely reached voluntary retirement age, rather than formally resigning. “That’s not true,” George said. “I never appeared before any disciplinary panel. If the commission has any report suggesting misconduct, they should publish it.”
