Tinubu replaces Ondo, Cross River representatives on NDDC Board
By Emma Ogbuehi
Pandering to pressure from members of his political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Friday, President Bola Tinubu has amended the recently reconstituted Board and Management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), approving the replacement of the Ondo and Cross River representatives on the Board.
This was contained in a statement on Friday evening by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.
Tinubu also said the reappointment of the Managing Director of the Commission, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, would be in acting capacity until his confirmation by the Senate.
The President, on Tuesday, approved the appointment of a new Board and Management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
He said the appointment of the new board and management took immediate effect.
The new board has Mr. Chiedu Ebie – Chairman – Delta; Dr. Samuel Ogbuku – Managing Director/CEO – Bayelsa, and Mr. Boma Iyaye – Executive Director (Finance and Admin) – Rivers.
But some members of the APC in Cross River, Rivers, and Delta states expressed shock over some of the appointments.
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Many of them wondered why Tinubu would ignore his own party members and nominate those they described as known adversaries of APC for appointments.
According to them, the action of the president was a slap on their faces and efforts to grow the APC within their respective states.
The Cross River APC while rejecting the nomination of a ‘die-hard PDP member’, Asu Okang, on the NDDC board, called for the “removing, deleting and erasing the name of Mr Asu Oku Okang as Representative of Cross River State on the board of NDDC.”
Similarly, the Ondo State chapter of the APC rejected the nomination of Kolade Akinjo as the state representative on the governing board of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) on the ground that he is a PDP.
The statement by Ngelale on Friday said, “President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate replacement of the NDDC’s Ondo State Representative nominee, Mr. Victor Akinjo, with a new Ondo State Representative nominee, Hon. Otito Atikase.
“The President has equally approved the immediate replacement of the NDDC’s Cross River State Representative nominee, Mr. Asi Oku Okang, with a new Cross River State Representative, Rt. Hon. Orok Otuk Duke.
“Furthermore, the immediate past Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, is reappointed to a second term and will remain in acting capacity, pending the Senate’s confirmation of his reappointment,” the statement reads.