Speaker Martin Amaewhule of the state House of Assembly issued an order calling for the dismissal of all commissioners, which the Rivers State Government has rejected.
In a 48-hour ultimatum to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the MPs demanded that he fire his commissioners and forward a new slate of candidates for consideration.
The state government responded by rejecting the decree, claiming it was unnecessary and unlawful. Sydney Tambari, the Environment Commissioner, accused the MPs of acting without legal basis and abusing their authority. Under former Speaker Edison Ehie, he said, all present commissioners had already been vetted and confirmed by legally recognized Assembly leadership.
Edison Ehie, who the court legally acknowledged as Speaker of the House of Assembly, screened me. Tambari stated, “This group of people had left the PDP before and gone wherever they went.” Additionally, he noted that Victor Oko-Jumbo, Ehie’s replacement, carried on the process of validating and screening new commissioners and political appointees following his resignation.
Tambari insisted that the nominations were legitimate under the law and that the governor was under no duty to provide a new list of applicants. “No new list of nominees may be sent to this Assembly by the governor. Since all appointees were thoroughly examined, their demand for the commissioners’ dismissal has been surpassed by events, he argued.
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The commissioner also criticized the way the lawmakers interpreted the Supreme Court’s decision, claiming that it did not require the dismissal of political appointees or commissioners. As per his assertion, the decision solely dealt with the 2025 budget presentation and had no impact on the executive council’s makeup.
“The Supreme Court discussed the budget, not the dismissal of commissioners. Event-related factors have already surpassed the governor’s discretion in presenting the budget, Tambari stated.
