From Scholastica Onyeka, Makurdi

The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), in Benue state, has urged the State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, to rescind his decision to carry out mass sack of state civil servants, with immediate effect.

The acting state chairman of the party, Hon. Isaac Mffo, stated this while briefing newsmen at the party secretariat, on the sacking of civil servants in the state.

H said the party condemned in strong terms, the directive issued by the state’s Governor, to the effect that some categories of the Benue State Civil Service have been sacked from their jobs.

Recall that Alia, In a statement, directed among other things that “All recent appointments into the State Civil Service made by the outgone administration from May 2022 to date are hereby nullified with immediate effect”.

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PDP said the directive which quashed all appointments, promotions and postings made in the state civil service from May, 2022 to the time of his assuming office, is “condemnable, unlawful, insensitive and callous.”

Mffo, flanked by the State Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom and other State Working Committee members, said the affected civil servants were given lawful appointments into the state civil service having fulfilled all statutory requirements and, until this directive, were entitled to all the rights, privileges and protections guaranteed them under the labour laws of the state.

“We condemn all the misguided, arbitrary and unpopular actions so far taken by Governor Hyacinth Alia and we call on all who mean well for Benue State to do same.

“This arbitrary sack order on Benue civil servants and those issued earlier to heads of Agencies and Parastatals in the state only opens the gateway to possible litigations which will not be in the interest of the administration and the state at large.

“Governor Alia should, therefore, without delay rescind 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,” the PDP said.