Members of staff at the Office of the Deputy President of the Senate have been given up to Tuesday to resign their appointments if they will be contesting in the 2023 general elections.
The ultimatum was issued in a memo by Dr Otive Igbuzor, the Chief of Staff to the Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, dated March 30, 2022, and titled ‘Resignation of all political appointees.’
The memo read, “I write to draw the attention of all political appointees who are delegates to the state House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, governorship and presidential primaries election (sic), including those who are holding positions in the party, to please put in their resignation letters.
“This has become expedient as a result of the provisions of the recently amended Electoral Act.
“All resignation letters should get to the Office of the Deputy President of the Senate not later than April 11, 2022. Above is for the attention and prompt response of all concerned political appointees of the Deputy President of the Senate.”
Our correspondent learnt on Tuesday night that at least two aides to Omo-Agege are nursing political ambitions.
“So far, I know of two us who want to context elections but I won’t want to mention their names now until they openly declare their interests,” a member of staff at the office told our correspondent on the condition of anonymity.
The National Assembly and the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), are presently in a legal battle over Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022.
Section 84(12) of the Act reads, ‘No political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election.’
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