Real Reason Rivers Assembly Rejected Four Fubara Commissioner-Nominees

The Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday declined to confirm four out of the nine commissioner-nominees forwarded to it by Governor Siminalayi Fubara after hours of rigorous screening that exposed political tensions, petitions and documentation controversies.

The nominees were subjected to intense questioning during a session held at the Assembly’s chamber within the legislative quarters along Aba Road in Port Harcourt and broadcast live on television.

At the end of the exercise, the lawmakers cleared five nominees for appointment into the state executive council while four others failed to secure legislative approval.

Those confirmed include Mr Tonye Bellgam, Prof Temple Nwofor, Dr Peters Nwagor, Mr Lekue Kenneth and Sir Amairigha Edward Hart.

However, Datonye Alaska, TKD Amachree, Charity Demua and Tamuno Williams were rejected after what the lawmakers described as unsatisfactory performance and unresolved controversies surrounding their profiles.

Political observers interpreted the outcome as a reflection of the lingering power tussle in the state, suggesting that the list may have been compiled without adequate consultation between the executive, the legislature and other political stakeholders.

The roles allegedly played by some of the nominees during the political crisis that rocked the state also appeared to influence the decisions of the lawmakers.

READ ALSO: Rivers Assembly Confirms Five Commissioner Nominees, Rejects Four

One of the most dramatic moments of the screening occurred during the appearance of Tamuno Williams, a lawyer and former chairman of Okrika Local Government Area, who is known to be a vocal supporter of Governor Fubara.

Williams came under scrutiny over comments he allegedly made in the media criticising the Assembly during the crisis.

Speaker Martin Amaewhule confronted him over his public positions on legal issues relating to the Assembly.

“Are you saying that there has not been any posts by you through the electronic or print media?

“Excuse me, listen, he is saying that you have been engaged in such conversation in the media against this August Assembly and you have taken positions in matters of law, which at the end of the day you were wrong because of the judgment of the court. The position you took or stood for in the media against this august assembly turned out that you were wrong because the court ruled that you were wrong. Is it the situation, yes or no,” the speaker asked.

Williams attempted to defend himself, arguing that differing opinions were common in legal discourse, but declined to give a direct answer to the question.

“Mr Speaker I will not argue with this House,” he said.

Amaewhule then responded: “So, you agreed that you misled the public.You can take your seat Mr Tamuno . You have answered the question”.

Another nominee, TKD Amachree, also a lawyer from the Kalabari axis, faced difficulty during his screening after the House Committee on Information and Public Petitions disclosed that several complaints had been filed against him.

Chairman of the committee, Dr Enemi George, told the lawmakers that about 11 petitions were initially submitted against Amachree over alleged involvement in community disputes.

He later informed the House that fresh petitions had increased the number to more than 15, prompting the lawmakers to unanimously stand down his nomination.

The rejection of Datonye Alaska also attracted attention. The medical scholar, a professor of medicine, former chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association and Deputy Chief Medical Director of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, was criticised by lawmakers over inconsistencies in his documents.

During the screening, questions were raised about alleged mutilation of the date on his birth certificate and discrepancies in the names appearing on some of his certificates.

Charity Demua, the only female nominee, also failed to convince the lawmakers during the exercise.

She admitted that she had not paid tax since 2018.

When asked why she had no tax clearance certificate, she replied: “ I am a politician. I didn’t have work.”

Her response reportedly stunned members of the House, with the speaker asking whether she meant that politicians were exempted from paying taxes.

Throughout the screening session, lawmakers raised issues relating to academic qualifications, work history, tax compliance and petitions. One of the nominees was even asked to recite the second stanza of the national anthem.

At the end of the exercise, Amaewhule commended members of the House for what he described as diligent discharge of their constitutional duties.

“We have nine nominees forwarded to this Assembly by the governor. At the end of this screening, the House has confirmed five of them. But the House had chosen to take a deep breath on four of them following their poor performance and controversies surrounding their documents,” he said.

“They have not been able to show this Assembly that they are indeed prepared to serve Rivers State or that they are able. We feel that they are not square pegs in square holes for the offices they intend to occupy at the Rivers State Executive Council”.

The speaker said the resolutions of the House would be transmitted to the governor for further action.

“The governor should go ahead and swear in the five nominees but he should not swear in the other four that were not cleared,” he added.