The Rivers State University in Port Harcourt has refuted claims that Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State asked the university authority not to accept a former state commissioner, who is on leave of absence, back to the institution.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
Background
Zachaeus Adangor was the commissioner for justice and attorney-general in Rivers State.
Mr Adangor, a professor of law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, was a lecturer at the university before he was appointed commissioner in 2023 in the state.
But the former commissioner resigned from the position in April, hours after he was redeployed to the Ministry of Special Duties.
His resignation followed the political feud between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now the FCT minister.
On Thursday, Mr Adangor, while appearing as a guest on Channels TV’s Politics Today, alleged that Mr Fubara directed the management of the university not to accept him back to the institution from his leave of absence.
University speaks
Reacting, the Acting Registrar of the university, I. B. S. Harry, in a statement forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday, explained that the former commissioner applied for a leave of absence to enable him to serve in the Rivers State Executive Council.
Mrs Harry said, contrary to the claims, the former commissioner had yet to apply to the institution for resumption of duty since his resignation as commissioner.
“We wish to state categorically that there has not been any directive by Siminalayi Fubara to the university management not to accept Prof Adangor back to his duties as claimed in the interview,” she said.
The registrar asked Nigerians to ignore the claim by the former commissioner.
Political crisis
The feud between Messrs Fubara and Wike has been ongoing since last October after Mr Wike-backed members of the Rivers House of Assembly attempted to remove the governor from office, a development that led to the burning of a section of the assembly complex and its subsequent demolition by the state government.
The crisis split the lawmakers into two factions – one faction with 27 members is loyal to Mr Wike, while the other members are loyal to Governor Fubara.
Mr Amaewhule is the speaker of the Mr Wike-backed faction.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the governor’s spokesperson, Chukwudi Nelson, in a statement on Wednesday, announced the emergence of Victor Oko-Jumbo as a factional speaker of the Rivers assembly.
Mr Oko-Jumbo, a member representing Bonny State Constituency, is backed by Mr Fubara.
But the Clerk of House, Emeka Amadi, would later disown Mr Oko-Jumbo as speaker, insisting that he and two others, who allegedly participated in his election, were suspended from the assembly in October last year.
In the heat of the crisis in October 2023, President Bola Tinubu brokered a controversial peace deal between Messrs Fubara and Wike.
But the deal appeared to have broken down after Mr Fubara declared the state assembly non-existent, saying he accepted the peace deal to give the lawmakers a “floating”.
In a fresh twist, a Rivers High Court, Port Harcourt, on Friday, barred Mr Amaewhule and 24 other lawmakers, loyal to Mr Wike, from parading themselves as members of the state assembly.
The suit was instituted by Mr Oko-Jumbo and two others – Goodboy Sokari and Timothy Orubienimigha.
The court adjourned the case till 29 May to hear the motion on notice.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that in another development, Mr Fubara issued an Executive Order, relocating Rivers Assembly to the Government House.
The Executive Order, dated 30 October 2023, surfaced days after the governor declared the assembly non-existent.
It also surfaced hours after Governor Fubara’s spokesperson announced the election of Mr Oko-Jumbo as factional speaker of the assembly.