ATTORNEY-GENERAL and Commissioner for Justice in Rivers Zacchaeus Adangor has resigned amidst the political crisis rocking the state.
Adangor, who served under the immediate past government led by Nyesom Wike and was reappointed by his successor, Siminalayi Fubara, communicated his resignation in a letter addressed to the state governor.
He cited “personal principles” as the reason for leaving Fubara’s cabinet.
“I hereby give Your excellency notice of my resignation as the honourable Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Rivers State, with effect from the date of this letter. For the avoidance of doubt, my resignation from the said office is based on personal principles.
“I wish to thank your excellency for the opportunity and privilege granted me to serve in your administration as a member of the cabinet,” Adangor noted.
There has been political tension in Rivers state following news of a rift between Fubara and his predecessor, Wike, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
As tension between both leaders heightened, impeachment actions were initiated against Fubara on Monday, October 30, by some members of the state House of Assembly believed to be loyal to Wike.
The impeachment process failed, and in November, President Bola Tinubu waded into the issue, after which Fubara issued a public apology to the people of the state, assuring them of peace and stability.
Fubara had thanked Tinubu for his intervention, which he said opened a channel for crisis resolution.
However, on Monday, December 11, 27 out of 32 state House of Assembly members defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Two days later, the government under Fubara ordered the demolition of the state House of Assembly Complex.
The governor attributed the demolition exercise to structural defects from a fire incident that affected the building in October.
On Wednesday, December 13, the governor presented the state’s 2024 budget to five members of the House of Assembly who appear to be loyal to him.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via vopara@icirnigeria.org or @ije_le on Twitter.