Two hundred and fifty-two special advisers and special assistants appointed by the Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal’s administration have resigned their positions.
The affected aides said their resignations were informed by the recent decision of the Sokoto State governor to dump the All Progressives Congress, the party which they are bona fide members of in the state.
They stated that their resolve to remain in APC would not allow them to function in their respective positions under Tambuwal’s government.
Addressing journalists on Sunday in Sokoto, the spokesman for the SAs, Dasuki Haske, also said their decisions were hinged on their loyalty to the party.
“We deem it fit to state categorically that we are not ready to join Governor Tambuwal in his new party. That was what informed our decision. We will remain in APC and there is no going back.
“We are members of APC before taking up our appointments as SAs and it was based on the membership values that we were given such positions. Now, we have resigned because the governor has not performed well since inception to justify our support for him.
“We want to assure the public that we will work for the success of APC in the state in the 2019 general elections. We will work for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari and our state party leader, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko,” Haske said.
Another speaker, Abdullahi Ahmad Sokoto, said all the ex-aides would work for the success of APC in the state.
He added that the party remained the one to beat in any election.
Also speaking, a former Special Assistant, Hajia Rabi Tudunwada, alleged that she and other aides of the governor were called and compelled to swear with Holy Qur’an to secure their promise to defect from APC before they could be paid their August salary.
Hajia Tudunwada disclosed that some of them had refused to be part of the oath, which informed their decision to resign from their respective positions
She posited that both PDP and Governor Tambuwal would be rejected in the forthcoming general elections by the electorate.
Responding, the state APC chairman, Isah Achida, thanked the affected Special Advisers and Assistants for their loyalty to the party.
He also promised them rewards for their “steadfastness and commitment to the party.”
“We thank you for being loyal to the party and we are assuring you of equal treatment as loyal party members.
“We have taken cognizance of your loyalty and commitment,” Achida stated.
Reacting to the mass resignation by some of the governor’s aides, the Director-General, Media and Publicity, Abubakar Shekara, said that the resignation was of no effect to Tambuwal’s administration.
He said, “Their resignation was a reaction to their sacking conveyed to them earlier in the day, which made them rush to the press.
“They had earlier stormed the cabinet office, demanding for their August salaries, which were being sorted out.
“Their appointments were terminated to enable them to get involved in partisan politics without ethical or moral dilemma.”