The Rivers State House of Assembly has confirmed five commissioner nominees forwarded by Governor Siminalayi Fubara, while rejecting four others following a screening exercise conducted during plenary.
The confirmation exercise was presided over by the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, at the Assembly complex.
The nominees confirmed by the Assembly are Tonye Bellgam, Temple Nwofor, Peters Nwagor, Lekue Kenneth, and Amairigha Edward Hart.
However, four nominees — Datonye Alasia, Charity Deemua, Tamuno Williams, and Otonye TKD Amachree — were rejected by the lawmakers after the screening process.
During deliberations, the Assembly said Datonye Alasia was disqualified due to what members described as poor performance during the screening exercise.
The nomination of Otonye TKD Amachree was rejected following over 11 petitions from members of his community alleging involvement in community-related disputes.
Similarly, Charity Deemua was rejected for failing to provide the required tax clearance documents, while Tamuno Williams was disqualified for allegedly misleading the public regarding the activities of the Assembly.
Speaking on the exercise, Speaker Martins Amaewhule said the screening was aimed at ensuring that only qualified individuals are appointed to assist the government in delivering effective governance.
According to him, the Assembly remains committed to ensuring that the state is served by competent officials capable of delivering the dividends of democracy to the people.
Following the screening, the House directed the Clerk of the Assembly to transmit its resolution confirming five nominees from the original list of nine to the governor.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara had earlier forwarded the list of nominees to the Assembly in line with Section 192 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
The nominations were submitted following a recent peace pact brokered by President Bola Tinubu, after which the governor dissolved his cabinet and initiated the process of forming a new one.
Blessing Ibunge
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