One of the suspended commissioners in Governor Francis Nwifuru’s cabinet of Ebonyi State, Barrister Valentine Okike-Uzor, who serves as the Commissioner for Special Duties and Focal Person for Ebonyi Indigenes in Diaspora, has expressed his support for the governor’s choice.
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Recently, Governor Nwifuru suspended 25 commissioners along with 60 other officials, including Senior Special Assistants, Special Assistants, and Permanent Secretaries, due to their absence from a government event.
In a statement he personally signed and released to journalists in Abakaliki on Saturday, Okike-Uzor dismissed the opposition’s claims as misleading and deceptive towards the people of Ebonyi.
He clarified that the suspension was not due to EXCO members missing a birthday celebration, as some have suggested.
Part of his statement read: “Opposition voices have taken to social media, attempting to distort the truth, and have spread falsehoods regarding the official engagement that led to the suspension of certain state officials, including myself.
“Some claimed it was a birthday party, while others fabricated various lies to further their agenda. These claims are untrue. The suspension was not related to a birthday, as has been circulated online. I want to emphasize that it is the governor’s right to classify any engagement as official.
“Unfortunately, some individuals were caught in a stroke of bad luck on that particular day, but the reality is that several EXCO members have consistently avoided government events, despite the governor’s repeated encouragement for them to participate in state functions.
“Some would merely show up, make their presence known, and then leave, even while the governor is still present.”
He also expressed disappointment that some State Executive Council members arrive at state functions after the governor has already taken his seat, pointing out that this behavior violates government protocol.
“It’s actually a concern that…