They weren't fired....they resigned so a 3rd option is that they left on their own either because the company is a mess or because of the supposed coming consolidation.
they are making room on the board for people with more expertise in a direction they want to go post consolidation.
That's usually the case agreed oldman65. Whenever there's board upheaval just prior to major material events it's usually a sure sign that a PubCo's making room for new heavyweight directors! So I view these 2 departures as the surest sign yet of how close we are to Rotmans!