- Special Advisers and Senior Special Assistants have not been paid their last salary
- PDP warned that failure to respect ultimatum will encourage the affected former public servants to seek redress
The governor of Sokoto state, Dr. Ahmad Aliyu, has been warned by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from engaging in political retaliation against PDP supporters there.
Several retired Permanent Secretaries and Directors-General have had their pensions withheld by the current APC administration of Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, the party claimed in a statement signed by the party’s state publicity secretary Hassan Sahabi. This includes those who voluntarily ended their employment just days before the APC took office in the state last May.
“Our investigations further reveal that these category of civil servants, who sacrificed their life in the service of the state for decades, are deprived of this statutory entitlement in May and June, for real or imagined political reasons”.
The PDP further in the statement said among victims of this political vendetta by the APC government are Permanent Secretaries, who were appointed several years ago, including a few, who were actually upgraded to the position during the tenure of Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko as Governor of the state.
“The State PDP chapter is also aware that a number of former members of the State Executive Council, Special Advisers and Senior Special Assistants have not been paid their last salary, which is for May 2023, even though they had served in that capacity until May 29.”
“We wish to put on record, our total condemnation of this vendetta on sons and daughters of our state, whose ONLY fault is failing to subject themselves to the whims of the political overlords of the day.”
The party according to statement have puts the State Government on notice to settle the arrears of the pensions/salaries of the affect public servants, along with their entitlements for July 2023.
The PDP however warned that failure to respect ultimatum will leave the PDP with no option but to encourage the affected former public servants to seek redress with the appropriate authorities.
The party view the current scenario as very disturbing as the State Government is preoccupied on setting up unnecessary committees aimed at witch hunting opponents , while innocent citizens in the state are being killed or kidnapped by armed bandits on daily basis.
“Our Party will not, in any event, stand aside and watch the maltreatment of citizens and gross abuse of their constitutional rights by the APC regime, due to blind partisan sentiments.