Ejike George, a chief magistrate in Rivers state, has resigned from his position, citing concerns over the appointment of a sole administrator to oversee the affairs of the state.
Gatekeepers News reports that George announced his resignation in a letter dated April 11, 2025, titled “voluntary retirement from service” and addressed to the chief judge of Rivers State through the secretary of the state Judicial Service Commission.
The chief magistrate said the development was troubling, describing it as a “quasi-military administration.”
The letter reads, “This present is intended to convey my decision to voluntarily retire my appointment as magistrate of the judiciary of Rivers state.”
“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.”
“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.”
“Having put in a whopping 16 (sixteen) out of my 22 (twenty-two years of legal practice into this judiciary as magistrate under successive democratic administrations, I find it difficult to work with the current setting, as doing so would amount to a tacit and naive acquiescence.”
“Thanks Milord, for the opportunity to serve.”
