To avoid being labeled as sacked members of the State Executive Council in Imo state, serving Commissioners and other appointees in the government of Owelle Rochas Okorocha have reportedly thrown in the towel.
Trumpeta had exclusively reported earlier that a Tsunami is in the offing in the State Exco following a stringent order and directive given to political appointees by Okorocha to those wanting to contest for any elective position in 2015 to quit.
Following a special Executive Council meeting the governor had with his appointees on Wednesday night in Government House, Owerri, which is believed may be the last for the Commissioners, Trumpeta was reliably informed that the governor requested the appointees to tactically vacate office with immediate effect. The resignation was a soft landing for the Commissioners and others seeking for elective position than outright announcement of their sack and removal.
Some of the serving Commissioners who are on their way out of their respective ministries, it was learnt, were also asked to surreptitiously hand over to their permanent secretaries to oversee their ministries.
The governor, it was further gathered, informed the Commissioners and others that he took the decision to ease them off to avoid the sledge hammer of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC on number of days allowed for office holders to quit and seek political offices.
Further reasons said to have been advanced by the governor for asking them to resign ahead is to ensure Rescue Mission adherents have enough chances to strategise well and ensure that the opposition does not snatch power in 2015.
The meeting Trumpeta was told, was another avenue for the outgoing Commissioners to give account of their stewardship before handing over to the Perm Secs as they accounted for how huge monies and allocations to their ministries were spent.
Each of the Commissioner stood up to account for the utilization of funds released to his or her own ministries.
The end of the meeting saw the Commissioners move out in droves to put finishing touches to their hand over notes to succeeding Perm Secs. The earlier information to the Commissioners was meant not to embarrass the appointees believed to be loyalists of the governor who are expected to play crucial roles to his possible re-election or Presidential bid come next election.
A source in Govt House revealed that though it was not the intention of the governor to relieve the appointees of their portfolios but INEC guidelines and pressures from legal entities knowledgeable about electoral laws informed the decision of the governor.
The governor was quoted to have said “I would wish to have allowed you to continue in office but in order not to allow the opposition to capitalize on this lapse to work against us, this dissolution has to be”
At that point Okorocha asked those seeking election to go to their constituents especially those at the grassroots and delegates to identify with them for the purposes of garnering support and endorsement for APC primaries and national election proper.
While at the meeting he called upon some of the appointees like Adaora Ijezie, Economic Planning Commissioner to inquire if she is running for election, which the woman was reported to have changed her mind and declared to run for Federal House for Okigwe North Federal Constituency.
Trumpeta correspondents who monitored offices in the ministries yesterday noticed that some of the Commissioners not only shielded away those who managed to report to office only hurriedly come to clear their tables and inform their close workers of the latest development.
This newspaper learnt that the public knowledge of the dissolution via announcement will commence before Monday
