The Rivers State House of Assembly has declined to confirm four commissioner nominees submitted by Governor Siminalayi Fubara following their screening at the state legislature.
The nominees appeared before lawmakers on Monday, March 9, at the Assembly complex in Port Harcourt for the confirmation exercise.
At the end of the screening process, the Assembly approved five of the nominees.
Those confirmed were Mr. Tonye Bellgam, Professor Temple Nwofor, Dr. Peters Nwagor, Mr. Lekue Kenneth, and Sir Amairigha Edward Hart.
However, four nominees failed to secure confirmation. They include Professor Datonye Alasia, Mrs. Charity Deemua, Tamuno Williams, and Otonye TKD Amachree.
Lawmakers explained that Professor Alasia was rejected due to what they described as “poor performance.”
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Alasia previously served as the Chief Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC) of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH).
The Assembly also cited community complaints in its decision to reject Amachree’s nomination.
According to lawmakers, more than 11 petitions were submitted against him by members of his community regarding his involvement in local affairs.
Mrs. Deemua was not confirmed because she did not provide the required tax clearance documents during the screening process, the lawmakers said.
Tamuno Williams, on the other hand, was stepped down after he was accused of “misleading the public about the activities of the Assembly.”
The development means Governor Fubara will need to nominate replacements or take further steps regarding the rejected candidates.