Desperation to win the 2015 election in Imo state is said to be causing trouble for the Director of Accounts and General Services, DAGS, Treasurers, and other top officials in the twenty seven Local Government Areas in the state.
According to information available to Trumpeta, a circular has been sent to all DAGs and Treasurers to sign their resignation letters which would be submitted to the authorities, and be invoked in the event that any of the top Senior Civil Servants failed to deliver their political booths and Wards, to the party in power in the state; the All Progressive Congress APC.
It would be recalled that Trumpeta had earlier reported about a serious warning passed on to these officials by the Government as regards winning their various communities for the Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha.
Therefore, not certified with the verbal instruction, the Government is said to have decided to put it in black and white, by writing a circular compelling the DAGS and Treasurers to play ball or lose their positions at the end of the electoral exercise, which commences with the Presidential and National Assembly elections which comes up on March 28, 2015.
Some of the officials in the Imo LGAs who spoke to Trumpeta under anonymity confirmed the story, but said they are in a quagmire, as they do not know what to do; either to refuse writing the resignation letters, or lose their sources of income.
“We are not politicians but Civil Servants. At the same time it is the state Government that pays our salaries. Therefore, can we confront the Lion? Can we live without our salaries? This is very dangerous” one of the embattled DAGS told Trumpeta.
This Newspaper learnt that already there are tension in Imo LGAs, as the staff are complaining of intimidation and other acts from Government which are becoming strange to the duty of a civil servant.
Not only that, they lament that state civil servants are treated better now than LGA staff, as some of them have not received some payments like leave allowances, Hospital allowances etc like their state counterparts who took theirs during the last Christmas period.
“Despite the shoddy way we are treated yet they want to use LGA staff for their political gains.
They must pay us our outstanding bills first” Trumpeta was told.
Meanwhile, some of the DAGS have threatened to sue the Sate Government if they are compelled to sign the resignation letters.
“I am a civil servant. Nobody can cut my years of service midway for his or her personal ambition when I have committed no offence” one of the DAGs from Orlu zone told Trumpeta.
