Rivers crisis deepens as Amaewhule-led Assembly

By Chinelo Obogo

The Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, has demanded the immediate removal of all 19 commissioners and political appointees who were not screened by the Assembly. The Speaker issued a letter to the State Governor on Wednesday, calling for the dismissal of these officials and the submission of a fresh list of nominees for proper screening and confirmation.

The letter, signed by Amaewhule said that the appointments violated constitutional provisions. It stated, “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.”

Amaewhule specifically highlighted the case of Dagogo Iboroma, whose appointment as Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice was not forwarded for screening. The Speaker argued that this contravened Sections 192(2), 192(5), and 195(1) of the 1999 Constitution. The Assembly has given the Governor 48 hours to submit a new list of nominees for the State Executive Council and other vacant offices.

In response, the Commissioner for Environment, Sydney Tambari, dismissed the Assembly’s actions as baseless and politically motivated. He accused the 27 lawmakers of overstepping their bounds and exacerbating the political tension in the state. Tambari said that all commissioners were properly screened by the former Speaker of the House, Edison Ehie, who is now the Chief of Staff at the Government House.

Tambari, a former publicity secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, stated, “I was screened by Edison Ehie, who was duly recognized by a competent court as the authentic Speaker of the State House of Assembly. At the time, this group of lawmakers had already defected from the PDP, and their actions lack legitimacy.”

Meanwhile, the government has denied receiving any document on the Amaewhule-led House of Assembly resolution following last Friday’s Supreme Court judgment.

Amaewhule, in a letter addressed to the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Monday, requested the latter to present the 2025 Appropriation Bill to the House within 48 hours, in line with the 1999 Constitution.

However, the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr Tammy Danagogo, in a letter yesterday, said the governor has yet to receive the letter, saying the state government heard of the purported on social media.

The statement read: “I hereby refer to a letter dated 3rd March 2025 on the above subject, which we came across on social media and notify you that, as at the close of work on Tuesday 4th March, 2025, we are yet to receive the said letter. Neither the office of the Governor, nor the Deputy Governor’s office, nor the office of the Accountant-General of the State has received the said letter…

“We have since been in contact with our lawyers who are still awaiting the certified true copy of the judgments of the Supreme Court, and hereby reassure you and all the good people of Rivers State that as soon as His Excellency receives the judgments, he will strive to implement same timeously in the best interest of our

people.”

He assured the people of the state of the governor’s commitment to abiding by the rule of law, as he had noted earlier in his statewide broadcast.

“Please, recall that His Excellency, Siminalayi Fubara, had in a State Broadcast on Sunday 2nd March, 2025, stated clearly that notwithstanding his personal opinion on the Supreme Court Judgments, he will, as a law-abiding Nigerians, obey and implement their decisions in accordance with the rule of law and the best interest of the people of Rivers State.”