By Halimah Olamide
Appointees of former Governor of Anambra state, Willie Obiano, have called on Governor Charles Soludo to help them with the payment of their severance allowance saying many of them are dying of hunger.
The former appointees, who spoke in the state capital said no fewer than 42 of them have since died in two years of leaving office.
The spoke after their meeting held in Awka where they appealed to Governor Chukwuma Soludo to come to their aid to avert more deaths among them. “42 former appointees have died without their severance packages and their families are currently suffering without help”, they said.
After observing a minute silence for their departed colleagues, they promised to make the forum a formidable force, adding that they would use the platform to inform Governor Soludo that the former appointees are a strong formidable force he will count on.
They also reminded the governor that the former political appointees were instrumental to the 21/21 former Governor Willie Obiano got in 2017 election and that the governor could leverage on their strength during the 2025 governorship election.
However, the state Deputy Governor, Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, who was a former political appointee under Obiano, urged the former aides not to despair, but to trust in God.
He said even Governor Soludo was a former appointee to Obiano and as such there was no reason to panic.
It was, however, gathered that the former appointees might lose their severance allowance campaign because there was no formal contract between them and the state government.
”Severance allowance is paid only if it is stated in the contract/ appointment paper of the appointee by the employer.
“I’m not sure such contractual provisions were accommodated in the appointment papers of Obiano’s appointees”, a source said.