The All Progressives Congress in Anambra State has kicked against the recent sack of some government appointees by the Governor, Willie Obiano.
Obiano had sacked no fewer than 20 aides for allegedly working against the election of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Prof Chukwuma Soludo in the November poll in the state.
A letter dated July 6, 2021, signed by the Chief of Staff to the Anambra State Government, Primus Odili, showed that 20 of such aides had already received their termination letters.
An insider told our correspondent that many more of such termination letters would be released before month end.
The source said, “Those people worked against Prof Soludo in the APGA primary election. They even went and assisted in conducting a parallel election where some other persons were nominated as candidates of the party.
The letter from the office of Chief of Staff sighted by our correspondent ordered “All salaries, incentives and benefits of those affected by the dismissal be terminated forthwith.”
The letter reads in part: “I write to communicate the approval of His Excellency, Chief Dr. Willie Obiano, the Executive Governor of Anambra State, of the termination of appointments of the underlisted appointees with immediate effect.”
Some of the affected political appointees, include, Azubuike Okafor, Senior Special Assistant on Grassroots Mobilisations; Prince Onyechi Okafor, Senior Special Assistant on Lands; as well as John Onyeakpa.
Others include: Chika Gabriel Ibeneme, Senior Special Assistant on Media; Joseph Okonkwo, Senior Special Assistant on Project Management (FADAMA); Esedo Ruth Uzochukwu, Special Assistant on Environment; Chidi Adi Ekwenugo, Senior Special Assistant ANSSIPA; Ezekwelu Kingsley, Senior Special Assistant on Media.
The Anambra State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Okelo Madukaife, on Thursday, described the sacking of the governor’s aides as despotic.
The APC said, “The sacking of political appointees by Governor Willie Obiano, for supporting aspirants of their choice within the All Progressives Grand Alliance vindicates us that the state government is wasteful and despotic.
“This is more so when in a fruitless bid to cover up the advanced dictatorship, the government claimed ‘their appointment was terminated for redundancy’
“For that number of political appointees to be redundant, the APGA-controlled State Government is technically dead”.
