Rivers assembly approves 5, declines confirmation of four commissioner nominees

The Rivers house of assembly has approved the appointment of five out of the nine commissioner nominees submitted by Siminalayi Fubara, governor of the state. 

The nominees confirmed during Monday are plenary after a screening exercise includes Tonye Bellgam, Temple Nwofor, Peters Nwagor, Amairigha Hart, and Lekue Kenneth.

The parliament withheld the confirmation of four nominees — Charity Deemua, Tamuno Williams, Otonye Amachree, and Datonye Alasia.

Amachree’s confirmation was set aside over petitions against him.

Lawmakers stepped down the confirmation of Alasia, the former deputy chief medical director of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), after expressing dissatisfaction with his responses during the screening.

Deemua was not cleared after she allegedly failed to present valid tax clearance certificates, while Williams could not secure the assembly’s approval over his previous remarks on the Rivers political crisis.

In February, President Bola Tinubu brokered peace between the governor and the Rivers state house of assembly, following months of political tension, impeachment threats, and division in the parliament.

Some days after, Fubara dissolved the state executive council and directed special advisers and commissioners to hand over to permanent secretaries within their jurisdictions.

In January, TheCable reported that part of the peace terms proposed by Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as a condition for the suspension of the emergency rule in the south-south state included a demand that Fubara appoint new commissioners.