The transition committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo says Godwin Obaseki, outgoing governor of the state, is bloating the civil service by employing hundreds of appointees last-minute.
Monday Okpebholo, governor-elect, is set to take the reins of the state after winning the poll in September.
In a statement on Wednesday, Kassim Afegbua, a member of the transition committee, alleged that during the election period, Obaseki converted 186 appointees – senior special assistants and special assistants – to civil servants.
Afegbua said Edo “is already bugged down by a huge debt burden”.
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“He added 186 of such appointees in September this year to the already bloated number of aides around him and has just commenced the process of absorbing another 152 aides to compound the problem,” he said.
“Governor Obaseki, for eight years, refused to recruit civil servants to fill up vacant positions and energize the civil service.
“He also refused to set up the Civil Service Commission until two weeks ago, in the twilight of his failed administration.
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“We are alerting the public to be aware of Governor Obaseki’s deliberate engagement to stifle the resources of the state and pass on huge salaries and overhead to the incoming administration.
“This is not only a wicked act but a huge disservice to the incoming administration of Senator Monday Okpebholo.
“We have repeatedly stated the position of the incoming administration that anybody who is wrongly recruited or surreptitiously absorbed into the Civil Service, with backdated appointment letters would be relieved of his or her responsibility.”
The transition committee member said recruitment into the civil service must follow due process.
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