Drama unfolded at the Rivers State House of Assembly during the screening of commissioner nominees submitted by the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
The tense moment occurred while lawmakers were questioning one of the nominees over her tax records. During the screening session, the nominee reportedly admitted that she had not filed her tax clearance since 2018.
Her response quickly drew reactions in the chamber when she explained that the reason was because she is a politician and does not have a job.
“I’m a politician, we don’t have work,” she said when asked to explain the gap in her tax filings.
The remark appeared to shock members of the Assembly, prompting further questions from the Speaker, Martins Amaewhule.
The Speaker pressed the nominee to explain why she had not been paying taxes since 2018 despite holding a political appointment as a local government caretaker for about three months in 2025.
However, the nominee struggled to give a clear response to the follow-up question, leading to more murmurs inside the chamber.
The screening exercise was part of the process for confirming nine commissioner nominees recently forwarded to the Assembly by Governor Fubara.
Following the exercise, the lawmakers eventually approved five of the nominees, while four others were not confirmed.
As of the time of filing this report, it remains unclear whether the nominee involved in the tax clearance exchange was among those approved or rejected by the Assembly.
