Siminalayi Fubara and Rivers Assembly Speaker Martin AmaewhuleSiminalayi Fubara and Rivers Assembly Speaker Martin Amaewhule
The Rivers State House of Assembly on Monday rejected four of the nine commissioner-nominees submitted by Siminalayi Fubara for screening and confirmation.
However, the lawmakers confirmed five nominees as commissioners-designate following a screening exercise that lasted over two hours.
Bellnews reports that the decision was announced during plenary presided over by the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule.
At the end of the screening exercise, the House cleared the following nominees for appointment as commissioners: Tonye Belgam, Prof Temple Nwofor, Dr Peters Nwagor, Lekue Kenneth, Sir Amarigha Edward-Hart.
Amaewhule said the resolution of the House would be forwarded to the governor for further action.
“I’m going to forward a letter to the governor and ask him to swear in five of the nominees as soon as possible,” the Speaker said.
The lawmakers, however, rejected the nominations of: Prof Datonye Alasia, Tamuno Williams, Otonye T.K.D. Amachree, Charity Deemua.
Amaewhule said the nominees were dropped due to poor performance during the screening and controversies surrounding their nominations.
“At the end of the screening exercise, the House has confirmed five of them.
“And four of them, the House has chosen to take a deep breath, given their poor performance and controversies surrounding their documents,” he said.
The Speaker added that the nominees failed to convince lawmakers they were capable of serving in the state executive council.
He said: “They have not been able to show this august assembly that they are prepared to serve Rivers State or that they are able.
“And we feel that they are not square pegs in square holes for the offices they intend to occupy in the Rivers State Executive Council.”
One of the rejected nominees, Charity Deemua, faced intense questioning over inconsistencies in her tax clearance.
Responding to questions from lawmakers, she said her tax records had not been updated since December 31, 2018, explaining that she was a politician without formal employment.
“As I said before, I’m a politician. We don’t have an office. I don’t have work. Mr Speaker, I think tax is generated from your income,” she said.
Amaewhule challenged the explanation, asking whether politicians were exempt from paying taxes.
“Madam, you’re under oath; you’ve not had any income from 2018 to 2026. That is what you’re telling Rivers people?” he asked.
Deemua later apologised after further questioning from the lawmakers.
Another nominee, Tamuno Williams, was unable to recite the second stanza of the national anthem when asked by the House Leader, Major Jack, during the screening exercise.
Similarly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Complaints and Petitions, Dr Enemi George, informed lawmakers that more than 10 petitions had been submitted against nominee Otonye Amachree, including an additional electronic petition received during the session.
In a statement issued after the plenary by the Speaker’s media aide, Martin Wachukwu, the House confirmed that the nominees were screened in line with Section 192 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
According to the statement, the screening involved scrutiny of the nominees’ academic qualifications, work history, tax compliance, and petitions filed against them.
The Speaker emphasised that the purpose of the legislative scrutiny was to ensure that Rivers State gets competent individuals capable of delivering good governance.
The House subsequently directed the Clerk to transmit its resolution confirming the five nominees to the governor.