The Edo State House of Assembly has confirmed Chris Ewere Okaeban as Commissioner to be appointed into the State Executive Council after over 83 days of his rejection by the House.
DAILY POST recalls that the House had, on September 30, 2025, refused to screen and confirm the nominee as commissioner to be appointed into the State Executive Council over an alleged petition before the Department of State Service, DSS.
The State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, had nominated him alongside six others as commissioner-designate.
While others were screened and confirmed, he was, however, rejected by the House over alleged undisclosed issues with DSS.
On Tuesday, December 23, 2025, at the plenary sitting, the Governor sent a letter to the House requesting it to conclude his screening and confirmation.
The letter dated December 22, 2025, was titled, “Request for the confirmation of Commissioner-designate”.
In a letter signed by Umar Musa Ikhilor, Secretary to the State Government and addressed to Blessing Agbebaku, Speaker of the House, the Governor urged the lawmakers to conclude the screening process and affect Chris Okaeben’s confirmation.
Following the Governor’s request, the House, however, screened and confirmed him as the 27th commissioner in the state cabinet.
The letter read in part, “Sequel to the non-conclusion of the screening of Hon. Christopher Ewere Okaeben as Commissioner-designate for Edo State by the House of Assembly, I write to formally convey the request of His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, that the Honourable House consider the nominee with a view to concluding the screening process and effecting his confirmation.
DAILY POST recalls that the House had, on September 30, 2025, refused to screen and confirm the nominee as commissioner to be appointed into the State Executive Council over an alleged petition before the Department of State Service, DSS.
The Speaker of the House, Blessing Agbebaku, had during plenary, while confirming the six other nominees, said that the report from the screening committee before him stated that Chris Okaeben, who was also a former member of the House, was not cleared because he had issues to settle with the DSS.
According to him, six out of the seven commissioner-nominees before us today have been cleared and confirmed, except one, who is our former colleague, Chris Okaeben, who has a question to answer with DSS. So I think he has to report to the DSS office for clearance.
“That is the report before me. The report is from the screening committee and I am not a member of the committee. The committee submitted a report.
“After his appearance with the DSS. They can take him and clear him. That is not a problem at all,” he said.
Okaeben, a former member of the House, represented Oredo West Constituency between 2015 and 2023.
He also served as Commissioner of Youth and Sport in 2014-2015 during the administration of Adams Oshiomhole.
He was among the 14 members-elect in the State House of Assembly that were not inaugurated by the former Governor Godwin Obaseki on July 17, 2019.
Edo Assembly finally confirms commissioner-nominee after two months of rejection
