The Rivers State House of Assembly on Monday declined to confirm four commissioner-nominees submitted by Governor Siminalayi Fubara following an extensive screening exercise at the Assembly complex in Port Harcourt.
The nominees rejected by the lawmakers are Datonye Alaska, TKD Amachree, Charity Demua and Tamuno Williams. However, five others — Tonye Bellgam, Prof. Temple Nwofor, Dr. Peters Nwagor, Lekue Kenneth and Amairigha Edward Hart — were successfully confirmed.
Observers interpreted the outcome of the screening as a sign that there may have been limited consultations between the executive arm, the legislature and key political stakeholders before the governor forwarded the list of nominees to the Assembly.
Some lawmakers also suggested that the roles played by certain nominees during the recent political crisis in the state contributed to their rejection.
Tamuno Williams, a lawyer and former chairman of Okrika Local Government Area, faced strong opposition during the screening over statements he allegedly made in the media criticising the Assembly during the political crisis. Williams, known to be a vocal supporter of the governor, was confronted by Speaker Martin Amaewhule over the comments.
During the session, the speaker questioned Williams on his public positions on legal issues affecting the Assembly, noting that some of the arguments he advanced were later contradicted by court judgments. Williams declined to respond directly to some of the questions, stating that he would not argue with the House.
Another nominee, TKD Amachree, was also rejected after lawmakers received multiple petitions alleging his involvement in community disputes. The Chairman of the House Committee on Information and Public Petition, Dr. Enemi George, informed the Assembly that the number of petitions against Amachree had risen to more than 15.
Charity Demua, the only female nominee among those rejected, was turned down after admitting during the screening that she had not paid taxes since 2018, explaining that she had been unemployed and engaged in politics.
Speaker Amaewhule later commended lawmakers for carrying out their constitutional responsibility diligently, stating that the four nominees failed to convince the Assembly that they were adequately prepared to serve in the state executive council. He added that the resolutions of the House would be forwarded to the governor for further action.
