The Rivers State House of Assembly has defended its decision to reject four out of the nine commissioner nominees submitted by Governor Siminalayi Fubara for screening and confirmation.
During Monday’s plenary session, the lawmakers approved five nominees after a screening exercise that lasted more than two hours, while four others were turned down due to poor performance and controversies surrounding their nominations.
The Speaker of the House, Martin Amaewhule, said the Assembly carefully assessed the nominees before reaching its decision.
According to him, the rejected nominees failed to convince the lawmakers that they were prepared and qualified to serve in the Rivers State Executive Council. He also noted that some of them were surrounded by controversies, including petitions and issues with their documentation.
Amaewhule explained that the Assembly confirmed five nominees and would forward its resolution to the governor to enable him to swear them in as commissioners.
Those confirmed by the House include Tonye Belgam, Prof. Temple Nwafor, Dr. Peters Nwagor, Lekue Kenneth and Amarigha Edward-Hart. However, the nominations of Prof. Datonye Alasia, Tamuno Williams, Otonye Amachree and Charity Deemua were rejected.
During the screening, Deemua faced questions over inconsistencies in her tax clearance documents. While responding to the lawmakers, she stated that she had not been paying tax since 2018 because she was a politician without a formal job.
The Speaker challenged her explanation, asking whether politicians were exempt from paying tax and questioning her claim that she had not earned any income during the period. Deemua later apologised after the exchange.
In another instance, nominee Tamuno Williams was asked by the House Leader to recite the second stanza of Nigeria’s national anthem but was unable to do so.
Lawmakers also raised concerns about multiple petitions submitted against Otonye Amachree during the screening process.
Following the exercise, the Assembly adjourned plenary to March 17, 2026.
In a statement issued after the sitting by the Speaker’s media aide, Martin Wachukwu, the Assembly confirmed that the screening process involved reviewing the nominees’ academic qualifications, professional experience, tax records and petitions against them.
The Speaker stated that the purpose of the legislative scrutiny was to ensure that only competent individuals were appointed to help the state government deliver effective governance to the people of Rivers State.
