RIVERS ASSEMBLY EXPLAINS WHY FOUR OF FUBARA’S NOMINEES WERE REJECTED

The Rivers State House of Assembly has explained the reasons behind its decision to reject four commissioner nominees submitted by Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of Rivers State.The lawmakers reached the decision after conducting a screening exercise for nine nominees at the Assembly complex in Port Harcourt on Monday.Speaking after the screening, the Speaker of the Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, said the four nominees were rejected because they failed to satisfactorily respond to questions from lawmakers and had issues related to their documentation and background checks.According to the Assembly leadership, the screening process was aimed at ensuring that only qualified and competent individuals are appointed into the state executive council.The nominees rejected by the Assembly are Prof. Datonye Alasia, Tamuno Williams, Otonye Amachree, and Charity Deemua.Meanwhile, five nominees — Tonye Belgam, Prof. Temple Nwofor, Dr. Peters Nwagor, Lekue Kenneth, and Amarigha Edward-Hart — were cleared by the lawmakers and are expected to be sworn in by Governor Fubara to join the Rivers State Executive Council.The Rivers Assembly said the screening process forms part of its constitutional responsibility to vet and confirm individuals nominated for key government positions.