‘It’s callous’ — Benue PDP kicks over Hyacinth’s dismissal of civil servants appointed by Ortom

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue has condemned the sacking of civil servants appointed by Samuel Ortom, former governor of the state.

Hyacinth Alia, governor of Benue, had nullified the last-minute appointments made by Ortom before leaving the office.

He also demoted some permanent secretaries appointed by the immediate past administration and asked them to revert to their previous positions.

Speaking at a media conference on Thursday, Isaac Mffo, acting chairperson of the PDP in Benue, said Alia’s decision was “unlawful, insensitive and callous”.

He said the affected civil servants were given “lawful appointments” into the state civil service having fulfilled all statutory requirements.

Mffo said the dismissed civil servants were entitled to all the rights, privileges and protections guaranteed to them under the labour laws of the state.

“This is to say that loss of such rights, privileges and protections cannot be at the whim of anyone, no matter how highly placed, including the governor, but can only be for reasons prescribed under the same laws, which do not include the action taken by governor Alia,” Mffo said.

The PDP chairperson asked Alia to tread “cautiously” as governor “so as not to aggravate the pains and sufferings“ of the people.

“Perhaps the governor needs to be reminded that up to the last minutes of the eleventh hour of his tenure, out-gone President, Muhammadu Buhari, made appointments into the federal civil service which President Tinubu has inherited and is working with.

“PDP observes sadly that by this latest sack order, Governor Alia has continued on the wrong footing of his administration so far, by executing weighty actions without following due process of consultations and interactive engagements needed to input into those actions necessary public content and connect as should obtain in a participatory democracy such as ours.”

The opposition party asked the governor to rescind his decision and reinstate the civil servants to their positions.

“Alia should, therefore, without delay rescinds the sack order he has issued to the thousands of civil servants in the state as to do so will be to save his administration and the state as a whole the ill wind which the action is bound to generate which will surely do no one any good,” Mffo said.