Governor Soludo dismisses entire slate of politically appointed officials

Following his inauguration for a second term, Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra has issued a directive for all political appointees to relinquish their duties immediately, a move that comes barely 24 hours after assuming office.

The directive was outlined in a circular released on Wednesday by the Office of the Secretary to the State Government, which was signed by Dr Nwabufor Nwankwo, the Permanent Secretary.

As stipulated in the circular, affected appointees are required to transfer their responsibilities to Permanent Secretaries, or in their absence, the most senior civil servant within their respective Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.

The handover process has been mandated to be completed by the end of the workday, pending the formation of a new cabinet, as stated in the circular.

A statement from the circular reads: “I am directed to inform all political appointees to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most senior civil servant in the various MDAs on or before the close of work today, until a new cabinet is constituted,” further emphasizing the urgency of the directive.

A meeting has been scheduled for all first-term cabinet members with the governor on March 23 at 10 a.m. at the Anambra State Executive Council Chambers, as directed by the government.

The circular, which conveyed this information, was signed by Dr Nwabufor Nwankwo, the Permanent Secretary of the Office of the Secretary to the State Government.