The Rivers State Commissioner for Environment, Sydney Tambari, has dismissed the demands of the defected House of Assembly members, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, calling their push for the removal of 19 commissioners and other political appointees baseless and politically driven.
Tambari accused the 27 lawmakers of overstepping their authority and worsening political tensions in the state. He emphasized that all commissioners were properly screened by the former Speaker, Edison Ehie, who now serves as Chief of Staff at the Government House.
The defected Assembly issued a letter to the Governor on Wednesday, urging him to dismiss the officials and submit a fresh list of nominees for proper screening. However, many Nigerians argue that the lawmakers have no legal standing, having defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), effectively losing their representation in the Rivers Assembly.
In a letter signed by Amaewhule, the lawmakers claimed the appointments violated constitutional provisions. “Your attention is once again drawn to the illegal appointments of persons to serve in various offices without forwarding their names for screening and confirmation as required by the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and other extant laws,” the letter stated.
Amaewhule particularly cited the case of Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Dagogo Iboroma, arguing that his appointment was not properly screened, thereby violating Sections 192(2), 192(5), and 195(1) of the Constitution. The Assembly gave the Governor 48 hours to submit a new list of nominees for the State Executive Council and other vacant positions.
Rejecting these demands, Tambari, a former PDP publicity secretary in Rivers State, reaffirmed his legitimacy, stating, “I was screened by Edison Ehie, who was duly recognized by a competent court as the authentic Speaker of the State House of Assembly. By the time these lawmakers defected, they had already lost their legitimacy.”
The political standoff in Rivers State continues, with both sides refusing to back down.
