Chief Magistrate Didn’t Resign Because Of Emergency Rule, Says Rivers Judiciary

The Rivers State Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has debunked the claims by a former Chief Magistrate, Ejike King George, that he resigned from office due to the declaration of state of emergency in the state.

George, had in a letter dated April 11, 2025, and addressed to the Chief Judge of Rivers State through the JSC Secretary, expressed discontent over the direction of the state’s governance, stating that it was “alien” and “antithetical” to the values of the legal profession.

The letter read: “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”

But, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, JSC acting secretary, Blessing Vic-Jumbo, denied claims that George’s retirement was voluntary and politically motivated.

Vic-Jumbo said the Chief Magistrate was compulsorily retired by the Commission through a letter dated February 12, 2025, following disciplinary actions tied to his prolonged unauthorised absence from duty, pointing out that George had been absent without leave from August 25, 2023, to December 2024.

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The statement stated that the disciplinary panel, which reviewed George’s conduct, found him wanting and recommended that he be offered the option to retire voluntarily within a set timeframe.

It said upon his failure to do so, the Commission proceeded with compulsory retirement effective February 10, 2025, the statement added.

This action, the statement emphasised, had no connection to the current political climate in Rivers State. The JSC took issue with recent comments by George, which allegedly suggested that his departure was triggered by the rise of a so-called “quasi-military administration” in the state.

The Commission firmly described George’s claims as “a contrived falsehood” and “a mischievous action calculated to deceive the public, attract undue sympathy, and undeserved patronage.”