Fubara yet to appoint chief of staff, says commissioner

Joseph Johnson, commissioner for information and communications, says Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers, has not appointed a chief of staff.

Reports had suggested that Fubara appointed Edison Ehie as chief of staff after he resigned as a member of the Rivers house of assembly.

Speaking with TheCable on Thursday, Johnson said the governor was yet to appoint a chief of staff after Chidi Amadi resigned his position a month ago, alongside some commissioners.

“When he appoints, it will make the news,” Johnson said.

BACKGROUND

Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT) and immediate past governor of Rivers, and Fubara, his successor, have been embroiled in a power struggle over control of the state’s political structure.

The feud between both men sparked a political crisis in the state — one that led to the demolition of the state house of assembly complex.

In the wake of the crisis, Wike’s associates in the Rivers house of assembly commenced impeachment proceedings against the governor.

Fubara’s allies kicked against the impeachment moves.

Thereafter, 27 lawmakers in the state house of assembly defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Subsequently, Edison Ehie, factional speaker of the Rivers assembly at the time, declared the seats of the lawmakers who defected vacant.

The political crisis also resulted in the resignation of some commissioners from Fubara’s cabinet.

On December 18, the governor and Wike agreed to end the political feud between them after President Bola Tinubu intervened.

Some of the resolutions reached at the meeting were that: All matters instituted in courts by the different factions should be “immediately” withdrawn, the 27 lawmakers who defected to the APC should be taken back as members of the assembly, and the impeachment proceedings against Fubara should be withdrawn.

The 27 lawmakers who signed the impeachment proceedings rescinded the notice against the governor.

On December 29, Ehie resigned as a member of the legislative chamber.