APC’s Position, Utterances on Retired Permanent Secretaries Confirm Them As Playing Partisan Politics – PDP

The unguarded utterances and unnecessary worry being expressed by the State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC about the recent compulsory retirement of 14 Permanent Secretaries of the State civil service by the State government have confirmed that some civil servants are indulging in partisan politics against the civil service rule prohibiting such.

But most pointedly, the APC by its unwarranted criticism of the action of government to streamline the number of such Permanent Secretaries to avoid redundancy, and the unfounded allegation that the retirement was vindictively aimed at witch-hunting the supporters and allies of former governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi clearly shows that the affected Permanent Secretaries were indeed, politicians and card carrying members of the APC who were only using the civil service as a cover.

The PDP therefore commends the vision and the hindsight of Gov. Nyesom Wike in indicating and fishing out these politicians feigning to be civil servants so that they do not continue to act as a cog in the wheel of progress.

The PDP believes that any action necessary including the suspension or retirement of any individual or group of individuals constituting obstruction to the quick recovery of the State economy or effective governance of the State is acceptable to the party and good for the people.

“It is not in doubt that the immediate past administration led by Rotimi Amaechi politicized every agency of government and coerced most of the staff into partisan politics to retain their offices and positions which ought not to be. To allow the anomaly to persist is to legitimize a bad tradition and kill the civil service. You are either in service or in active politics. You cannot be here and there at the same time. That is the rule.

If the allegation of the APC that the sacked Permanent Secretaries are their members, then Gov. Wike is right and should be applauded for sanitizing the civil service which is the heart of government and should not be politicized”, the PDP argued

The Party also notes that this should serve as deterrent to all civil servants irrespective of the party they may be supporting or affiliated with, to desist from such unlawful and unethical conduct.

Similarly, the State Chapter of the PDP has lauded the immediate suspension of the activities of the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) necessitated by the need to resuscitate and sanitize the agency itself.

The party also appreciates the understanding and good self conduct by the staff of the agency who have given kudos to Gov Wike to restructure the agency.

The PDP urges all to join hands with Governor Wike in the project of rebuilding the State by restructuring all the relevant agencies, departments, ministries and authorities to become functional again for the general good of the Rivers people.

Signed:

Jerry Needam, JP

Special Adviser on Media and Publicity

To the Rivers PDP Chairman, Bro Felix Obuah

Sunday, November 22, 2015