Rivers Assembly Issues 48-hour Ultimatum to Fubara to Present New Commissioner Nominees

The Rivers State House of Assembly has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Governor Siminalayi Fubara to dismiss all Commissioners who were not screened and confirmed by the Assembly amid the ongoing political crisis in the state.

This announcement was made in a statement signed by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule, on Wednesday. The statement also directed the Governor to submit a fresh list of Commissioner nominees to the Assembly within this time frame.

Additionally, it highlighted the swearing-in of several individuals, including Lawrence Oko-Jaja as Chairman, and Earnest Ibekwe Ekwe, Mina Ogbanga, Iseleye Amachree, and Adokiye Oyagiri as members of the Rivers State Bureau of Public Procurement on August 30, 2024, without confirmation by the Rivers Assembly, which was identified as a violation of the law.

The Assembly urged the Governor to submit a list to fill the vacancies in all the mentioned offices.

This development follows a Supreme Court ruling that upheld a Federal High Court decision prohibiting the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Accountant-General of the Federation from disbursing statutory monthly allocations to Rivers State.

Furthermore, the Supreme Court directed the Martins Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly, along with other elected members, to resume legislative sittings. This faction is aligned with Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).