By NewsCritic Reporters
A Civil Society Group, the Coalition For Abia Unity, CAU, has called on all well meaning Abians, as well as all people of good conscience to caution the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, led Abia state government against replicating in the state the caricature of appointments, as recently witnessed in Rivers State, following the appointment of several thousands of people as Special Assistants, warning that Abia State cannot be Rivers state.
The group said it is in receipt of credible and impeccable information that the PDP led administration in the state has concluded plans to recruit hordes of aides albeit secretly, in all the 17 local councils of the state, with a view to using them to prosecute the forthcoming general elections.
It would be recalled that penultimate week Gov Nyesom Wike of Rivers State had appointed no fewer than 30,000 Special Assistants in a move many have come to see as being politically motivated. About three days ago, the Gov Victor Okezie Ikpeazu led Abia state government dissolved all Senior Special Assistants/Special Assistants and advisers of their appointments.
In a press statement issued and signed by its Chairman, Chief Uzo Chukwu and made available to the press in Aba the CAU, warned that it will not allow the common patrimony of the people of Abia state to be used to maintain and sponsor some unproductive political hirelings to subvert the will of the people at the polls.
The group said it is constrained to alert the good people of Abia state on the plans to deploy the resources of the state for the achievement of the desperate ambitions of some political elements.
“We want to use this opportunity to alert our people on the plans by some desperate people to engage the services of some people as aides and Assistants. These so called Assistants whose appointments may not be made public will be drawn from all parts of the state’s local councils with majority of them however coming from the Abia South senatorial district.
Information available to us shows that the major assignment of these appointees, who we have equally learnt will form the nucleus of what will be known as a “Third Force” will be to ensure the victory of a particular senatorial candidate. Their activities will be coordinated by one of the influential members of the state’s cabinet.
“They are scared stiff that the failure to achieve this senatorial ambition will most likely have a negative multiplier effect on the gubernatorial contest proper in the state. So, everything is being thrown, including the resources of the state to achieve this narrow political objective…”CAU noted.
According to the statement the group said what is more worrisome about the entire development ,is that this is happening at a time the PDP led administration in the state is reluctant to meet its statutory obligations to many segments of Abians, especially civil servants and pensioners, who it said are owed several months of salaries and allowances. “Teachers, civil servants, pensioners, Doctors and even judicial officials are being owed. The government does not have money to pay all these people that are positively contributing to the development of the state, but it has money to recruit and pay some hirelings to achieve a narrow political gain”, the CAU queried.
It therefore called on the good people of the state to rise up and resist this fresh attempt to deploy the resources of the state for the achievement of some selfish and narrow political interests.