Abia State Governor Ikpeazu Sacks Political Appointees
All of Abia State’s political appointees would be immediately dissolved, according to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.
Chris Ezem, the Secretary to State Government (SSG), made this announcement on Thursday.
Special assistants, senior special assistants, special advisers, and technical advisers are among those impacted, according to lawyer Ezem.
This suggests that state commissioners were unaffected.
The state accountant general has also been instructed by the governor to guarantee that all appointees receive their March 2023 stipends immediately, according to Ezem.
In addition to thanking the fired appointees for their efforts and services to the state, the SSG claimed that the governor also wished them luck in their future endeavors.
The dismissal came days after Okey Ahiwe, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for governor, lost to Alex Otti, a Labour Party contender, in the state’s 18 March governorship election (LP).
Otti, the LP candidate, received 172,386 votes to defeat Ahiwe, the PDP candidate and his nearest challenger, who received 88,174 votes.
Recall that Enyinnaya Abaribe of the All Progressives Grand Alliance defeated Governor Ikpeazu in the race for the Abia South District Senate seat.
The removal of the political appointees also occurs just a day after Otti, the incoming governor, raised concerns about the state government’s involvement in late-night job racketeering in the State.
Ikpeazu refuted the claim, arguing that even if it were accurate, his administration had the authority to appoint government workers if it so chose because it had “executive powers to conduct the operations of the state.”
On May 29, when Mr. Ikpeazu’s term as governor expires, Otti is anticipated to be sworn in as the new governor of the state.
