A member of the Rivers Elder Council, Asukewe Ikoawaji, has alleged that many of the commissioners resigning from Governor Sim Fubara’s cabinet lacked affiliation with the PDP before their appointment.
He defended the practice of cabinet reshuffling, drawing parallels to historical instances such as when President Jonathan took office following President Yar’adua’s passing, resulting in changes within the cabinet. Ikoawaji criticized the perceived disruptions caused by individuals who protested their reassignments in Fubara’s government.
Professor Zacchaeus Adangor [SAN] and Isaac Kamalu resigned from Governor Sim Fubara’s cabinet on Wednesday. Both are loyalists of ex-governor Nyesom Wike, who is currently engaged in a political dispute with Fubara, his estranged political protege.
Adangor and Kamalu tendered their resignations about 24 hours after Fubara reshuffled his cabinet and transferred them to different ministries. Adangor, who served as the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, was reassigned to the Ministry of Special Duties. Kamalu was relieved of his duties as Commissioner of Finance and transferred to the Ministry of Employment Generation.
Speaking in an interview with Arise TV, Ikoawaji remarked, “Most of these commissioners that are resigning don’t even have a party card before they were appointed. I don’t know when the reshufflement of a cabinet has become a sin. These things happen very well. If you can recall when the Late President Yar’adua passed on, President Jonathan assumed office, and other was a reshufflement of the cabinet.
“The then Attorney General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria was removed from the office of Attorney General to the office of Special duties. I didn’t hear anybody make noise out of it. If we should tell ourselves the truth, I think some of these things that are happening are a distraction to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
” You were moved from a ministry to another ministry and you start writing a letter talking about respect or no respect for Mr President’s decision. That has nothing to do with Mr. President’s resolution. The President’s decision, is irrelevant to the President’s authority.”
