By Okechukwu Okechukwu
Anambra State Former Political Appointees, a conglomerate of all the political appointees who served under the former governor Willie Obiano from 2014 to 2022 , Tuesday, threatened to abandon the incumbent governor, Chukwuma Soludo and his All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) to work for another political party in 2025 gubernatorial poll if he fails to pay their severance allowances within this month.
The appointees, who included former commissioners, Special Advisers (SPAD), Senior Special Assistants (SSAs), Special Assistants (SA) and Executive Assistants (EA), said the ultimatum became necessary since the governor was yet to respond positively to their requests which had even been made available to him personally and through different stakeholders.
The appointees resolved to this at the end of a town-hall meeting held at Awka, the Anambra State capital, where several members took turn to express their regrets over the governor's failure to acknowledge the services they rendered to the State selflessly, including their commitments towards his emergence as governor in 2021 amidst the then insecurity and oppositions.
According to them, some died in the process of struggling to see that Soludo emerge as governor, while many have died either because of hunger, terminal diseases or insecurity after the election due to his refusal to pay their several allowances.
Also speaking, the convener ASFP and former SSA to Obiano, Chief Onyeka Owelle Mbaso, said although they had met with necessary stakeholders, including governor Soludo to no avail, they would press on again before they finally joined one of many political parties bigwigs showing interest in paying at least 150% of the severance allowances.
Mbaso, who was the pioneer chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the United Kingdom, recalled that the governor's comments during their meetings last year showed that he saw their efforts towards his election as insignificance, even as politicians from other political parties had hijacked APGA from the 'real' members, and currently running it aground.
He, however, urged members to be resolute and faithful as he would continue to reject every attempts to buy him over with either political offers or money until their aims were achieved.