A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has fixed Tuesday, September 29, 2026, for the hearing of a suit seeking the enforcement of fundamental rights filed by PAMO University of Medical Sciences and its Vice Chancellor, Professor Smith Jaja, against the Rivers State House of Assembly and other respondents.
The respondents in the suit include the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martin Chike-Amaewhule, the Deputy Speaker, the Inspector General of Police and the Rivers State Commissioner of Police.
PAMO University and Professor Jaja, who are the applicants, were represented in court by C.A.J. Chinwo and Sunny Udesi.
The applicants are challenging the powers of the Rivers State House of Assembly to investigate the affairs of PAMO University of Medical Sciences, a private university located in Port Harcourt.
The suit comes against the backdrop of the Rivers State Government’s sponsorship of hundreds of Rivers State students studying at the university through scholarships administered by the State Ministry of Education.
When the matter came up before the court, the presiding judge, Justice Mark Chukwu, directed that all parties be served with the relevant court processes and ordered them to appear before the court on September 29, 2026, for hearing.
The dispute follows an earlier development involving the 2026 Appropriation Bill passed by the Rivers State House of Assembly and presented to Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
During the presentation, Speaker Martin Chike-Amaewhule stated that the House had withheld approval of funds earmarked for the payment of fees for Rivers State students at PAMO University.
The Speaker alleged that funds previously allocated to the university were mismanaged and not properly accounted for.
Following the development, the House summoned the Vice Chancellor of PAMO University to appear before it, with the lawmakers invoking their constitutional powers under Section 128 of the 1999 Constitution.
The September 29 hearing is expected to determine the next steps in the legal challenge as the university and its Vice Chancellor contest the Assembly’s authority to probe the institution’s affairs.
