The Rivers State House of Assembly, on Monday, dropped Prof Datonye Alasia, Mrs Charity Deemua, Otonye T.K.D. Amachree, and Tamuno Williams, Esq out of the nine commissioner-nominees submitted by Governor Siminalayi Fubara for screening and confirmation.
The House, however, cleared Tonye Belgam, Prof Temple Nwafor, Dr Peters Nwagor, Lekue Kenneth, and Amarigha Edward-Hart commissioners-designate after a long screening that lasted over two hours.
Speaker of the House, Martin Amaewhule, who presided over plenary on Monday, said the four nominees were dropped due to poor performance during the screening and controversies, including petitions surrounding their nominations.
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.
“On that note, distinguished colleagues, I thank you for your contributions. With your leave and in line with our rules, I will forward the resolution of this august assembly to the governor so that he can take necessary steps in the interest of Rivers State.
“On that note, I’m going to forward a letter to the governor and ask him to swear in five of the nominees as soon as possible.”
Two of the rejected nominees – Mrs Charity Deemua, Tamuno Williams and Otonye T.K.D. Amachree had issues with tax payment, inability to recite the second stanza of the National Anthem and petitions respectively.
The House established that Deemua failed to pay tax since 2018 to the state government coffers, as for Williams he could not recite the second stanza of the National Anthem while Amachree had ten petitions filed against him.
21st CENTURY CHRONICLE reports that it was on these bases that the three nominees were dropped just as this newspaper could not determine why the fourth nominee Prof Alasia was dropped.
