Just like before, all nine Commissioners in the Executive Cabinet of Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State believed to be loyal to the ex-governor, Nyesom Wike, were on Wednesday exited the Government.
The five Commissioners were Chinedu Mmom; Education Commissioner; Gift Worlu, Commissioner for Housing; Inime Aguma, Commissioner for Social Welfare; Austen Ben-Chioma, Commissioner for Environment; and Jacobson Nbina Commissioner for Transport.
It will be recalled that two Commissioners had earlier resigned in protest of their redeployment by Governor Sim Fubara.
They were Isaac Kamalu, who resigned after he was redeployed as the Commissioner of Finance to Ministry of Employment Generation and Economic Empowerment; as well as Zacchaeus Adangor, a Professor, who resigned as Commissioner after he was redeployed as the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of Rivers State to the Ministry of Special Duties (Governor’s Office).
The first two resigned after they were given Federal appointments by President Bola Tinubu; Commissioner of Works, Dax George-Kelly also resigned to take up appointment as the Director-General of the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA); and Emeka Woke (Wike’s chief of staff) who resigned as Commissioner for Special Projects to take up appointment as the CEO of Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority.
The remaining Commissioners are adjudged to be loyal to Governor Fubara.
BusinessDay gathered that new Commissioners are expected to be appointed in the coming days and will be presented to the House of Assembly for confirmation.
Now that all the Wike loyalists have left the Fubara cabinet, and the 27 lawmakers have been pushed into the defensive, observers expect two fiercely opposed camps in the State not spare any arrow in the fight.
The cabinet is expected to act and move faster but the detractors with deep inside knowledge may join the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State and begin serious attacks in all fronts.
Meanwhile, coming days and weeks promise to be tense, considering tensed situation of things already being experienced in the State.