Four Commissioners serving in the administration of the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, have resigned from their positions in the State Executive Council.
The resignations of the Commissioner for Works, George Kelly, and the Commissioner of Power, Henry Ogiri, were due to their appointments by the federal government. Meanwhile, the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Prof. Zacchaeus Adango, and the Commissioner for Finance, Isaac Kamalu, resigned following their redeployment to other ministries.
In response to the resignations, the state governor, through a circular signed by the Secretary to the state government, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, reassigned Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor to the Ministry of Special Duties (Governor’s Office) and reposted Barr. Isaac Kamalu to the Ministry of Employment Generation and Economic Empowerment.
However, both Adangor and Kamalu rejected their reassignments, citing the ongoing lack of peace in the state.
Adangor, in his resignation letter, stated that his decision was to preserve his integrity, as he was not consulted before his redeployment. He also highlighted previous interference by the governor in his duties.
Adangor had previously resigned during a political conflict between Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, but was reinstated following the intervention of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu. Since then, his relationship with the state governor had soured due to his continued loyalty to the FCT Minister.
Kamalu, in his resignation letter, expressed his disappointment with the governor’s handling of the state’s revenue and the ongoing political discord. He emphasized the need for peace to facilitate effective governance.
The Rivers State Government responded to the resignations, stating that they would not affect the administration.
The State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Joseph Johnson, affirmed that every appointee had the right to resign and that the government was committed to maintaining the peace deal brokered by President Ahmed Tinubu. He emphasized that the resignations would not hinder the functioning of the government.
