- More Pro-Wike Loyalists Resign From Fubara’s Administration After Redeployment
- Adangor Accuses Fubara Of Interfering In His Duties As Attorney General
- It Is Impossible For Me To Give My Best In An Atmosphere Of Rancour- Kamalu
- Those Resigning have refused to shape up to the peace deal- Fubara Fires Back
The peace deal brokered by President Bola Tinubu to address the political upheaval in Rivers State which was caused by the rift between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his estranged political god-father, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike appears to have collapsed.
The Matrix gathers that the resignations of two Commissioners from Governor Fubara’s cabinet on Wednesday signalled a significant indication of this breakdown.
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor, and Finance Commissioner, Hon. Isaac Kamalu, stepped down from their positions in the Rivers State Executive Council following their redeployment to other Ministries.
The Matrix gathered that trouble started on Tuesday April 23, 2024 when Fubara implemented a minor cabinet reshuffle in the state and moved Adangor to the Ministry of Special Duties (Governor’s Office) while Kamalu was moved to the Ministry of Employment Generation and Economic Empowerment.
The Rivers State Government did not provide a reason for their redeployment.
Adangor was the first to resign, his resignation was quickly followed by that of Kamalu.
In the resignation letter to the Secretary of the Rivers State Government, Tammy Danagogo, on Wednesday, Adangor rejected the deployment and resigned from the Rivers Executive Council, with effect from April 24, 2024.
According to Adangor, he chose to leave the government to preserve his reputation.
He accused Governor Fubara of interfering with his duties as the Attorney General, alleging that the governor had directed him not to defend or oppose suits filed against the Attorney-General and the Government of Rivers State by individuals sponsored by the state government.
In his words, “The Governor of Rivers State had in the past couple of weeks willfully interfered with the performance of my duties as the Honourable Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.
“I wish to state for the record that I am no longer willing to continue to serve in the administration of His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, Governor of Rivers State, in any capacity whatsoever.
“It is important to mention that the Governor of Rivers State had in the past couple of weeks willfully interfered with the performance of my duties as the Honourable Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Rivers State by directing me not to defend, oppose, or appear in suits insinuated against the Honourable Attorney-General and the Government of Rivers State by persons admittedly hired and sponsored by the Government of Rivers State.
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“That having served the Government and good people of Rivers State dutifully as a member of the Rivers State Executive Council for the past five (5) years, it has become imperative for me to quit the administration in order to preserve my reputation” the statement read in part.
Like Adangor, Kamalu, in a letter to the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Tammy Danagogo, on Wednesday, rejected his redeployment from the Finance Ministry to the Ministry of Employment Generation and Economic Empowerment.
Kamalu cited the absence of peace in Rivers State despite the peace pact by President Tinubu last December. He said it was impossible for him to give his best in an atmosphere of rancour.
“You will respectfully recall that when the climate of discord became unbearable I and other like-minded Members of the Executive Council that were appointed by you resigned. You thereafter engaged His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and as Father of the Nation to intervene in the matter.
“In deference to the directive of Mr. President I and the others were recalled and we all accepted and joined the Cabinet again. I expected Sir that with the opportunity provided by Mr. President, every effort will be made to sustain peace.
“Regrettably, Your Excellency, the peace in Government and governance that we all – citizens and residents-of the State desire has remained out of reach despite our consistent efforts and demand for the same. This has affected our ability to protect and defend the gains that we made these past years.
“In the course of official engagements, I have reiterated the need for this peace and the fact we all are willing and determined to work for this. It is very difficult to deliver good governance where there is acrimony and discord. It is not the point of service that is important, but the climate. Our present circumstance makes service delivery extremely challenging. I still hold the belief that it is never too late for peace.”
Meanwhile, Fubara has maintained that his decisions since taking office have been aimed at the welfare of the state’s residents.
Reacting to the resignation, Fubara said this would not affect the administration in any way.
The State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Joseph Johnson noted that every appointee has the reserved right to resign if he so wishes.
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He further noted that those who are resigning have refused to shape up to the peace made by President Ahmed Tinubu on the Rivers political crisis, noting that the state government was keeping to the terms of the peace deal.
He said: “Somebody has the right to resign his appointment and the governor has the right to appoint. They have the right to resign. If the governor appoints you and you don’t want to stay you resign.
“They resigned on their own volition; the governor did not sack them. Two people resigning from the cabinet of his excellence will not affect the administration. How will it affect the administration, are there no other commissioners, even permanent secretaries and directors?
“The structure of the civil service is such that the engine room can stop just without just one person. If there is no commissioner, does it mean the Ministry will not function.
“It is a misrepresentation. Whoever is saying that is overreaching himself. If the President has put peace in place and some people are not still comfortable, they can shape out. The peace the President made is visible and those who are not ready to shape up should ship out and they are beginning to ship out.
“Those of them who are not shaping up will. Two of them have decided to leave. They are not the only ones who resigned that time. For now, only two people have resigned. George Kelly had a Federal Appointment. The Commissioner for Power also resigned because he had a federal appointment too.”
