BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

PORT HARCOURT—SIX commissioners in Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s cabinet, who escaped expulsion by Felix Obuah’s faction of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State, said, Wednesday, that they did not appear before the Performance Evaluation Committee of the party to have escaped expulsion.

This came as the 27 pro-Amaechi lawmakers described the expulsion of 14 commissioners in the state by the Felix Obuah’s faction as an act of political rascality.

It would be recalled that Felix Obuah’s faction of the party had expelled 18 top aides of the governor for refusing to appear before its performance evaluation committee, including 14 commissioners in the state cabinet.

The party had also alleged that the other commissioners escaped expulsion because they allegedly made representations to the committee.

The commissioners
Meanwhile, the seven commissioners, who spoke yesterday were the Commissioner for Transport, Mr. George Tolofari; Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sampson Parker; Employment, Dr. Ipalibo Harry; Youths, Sir Owena Wonodi; Education, Alice Nemi and the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Chamberlain Peterside.

The Commissioners, who took turn to address the media, challenged the Obuah-led faction of the party to show proof that they appeared before its committee or made any form of representation.

They said the whole game plan behind why the party spared them was to create disaffection and bad blood in the state cabinet.

They further pledged their loyalty to Governor Amaechi as their leader.

‘It’s political rascality’
Meanwhile, 27 pro-Amaechi lawmakers have described the expulsion of the 14 commissioners as an act of political rascality on the part of the party.

In a statement issued yesterday by the lawmakers, they said some of the 14 commissioners expelled by the party were not even members of the party.

They said that they were brought into the state cabinet on account of their professional integrity and acumen.

The statement further said the party lacked the constitutional powers to expel the commissioners.

They said: That the Obuah led faction in their unwarranted desperation for power do not have any idea of the constitution or membership of Peoples Democratic Party, hence their unguided pronouncements.

“Their reasons, methodology and procedure are not only unconstitutional by reasons of Article 21(4)(5)(6) of the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party, but also a continuation of the undue political rascality and abject impunity that is detrimental and injurious to the character of our party and democracy.”