Democracy Undermined: Rivers Chief Magistrate Resigns in Protest Against Emergency Rule

Chief Magistrate Ejike King George has resigned from the Rivers State judiciary, citing his rejection of the state’s new leadership structure, which he described as a “quasi-military administration” imposed by the Nigerian government.

In a resignation letter dated April 11, 2025, and addressed to the Honourable Chief Judge of Rivers State through the Secretary of the Judicial Service Commission, George expressed deep concern over what he called an undemocratic shift in governance. The senior magistrate stated that his decision stemmed from discomfort with the imposition of a governance model he views as incompatible with democratic values and the ethos of the legal profession.

“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,” he wrote.

George, who has spent 22 years in legal practice—16 of them in service to the Rivers State Judiciary under successive democratic administrations—said that staying on would amount to “tacit and naïve acquiescence.”

His resignation follows escalating political unrest in Rivers State, which intensified after the State House of Assembly suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara. The move triggered widespread security deployments and institutional unease. In response, the federal government declared a state of emergency, granting military-style authorities significant control over the state’s administration.

George concluded his letter with a note of gratitude, stating, “Thanks, Milord, for the opportunity to serve,” as his resignation adds a legal voice to the growing dissent over the unfolding crisis in Rivers State.