DELTA ACTING GOV DISSOLVES STATE'S EXCO

By NBF News

BARELY two weeks after he was sworn in, the Delta State Acting Governor, Sam Obi, yesterday inĀ  Asaba dissolved the State Executive Council.

In the same vein, the acting governor and a commissioner-nominee, Dumbiri Uweh, may have reached an out-of-court settlement in their pre-election suit.

Obi, who announced the dissolution through a statement from the Office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Beatrice Omeni, directed that the sack of the State Executive Council was with immediate effect.

However, the former governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan's special advisers, assistants, media aides, protocol officers were not affected by the dissolution.

But the aides were barred from travelling abroad within the next 90 days when a fresh election would be conducted in the state.

The statement also ordered the erstwhile commissioners to handover the management of their ministries and government property in their possession to the permanent secretaries in such ministries or the most senior director where there is no permanent secretary.

The acting governor thanked the former commissioners for their contributions towards the growth and development of the state.

Obi had earlier sent a list of nominees as commissioners to the state House of Assembly.

The nominees include Paulinus Akpeki, Mr. Ngozi Okolie, Leonard Esegbue, Brave Enodeh, Dumbiri Uweh and David Peter Ekerekosu.

Obi had earlier sent Uweh's name along with five others to the House of Assembly for screening as commissioners.

Obi and Uweh were locked in a pre-election legal battle in a case of illegal substitution.

A similar pre-election matter, which bordered on illegal substitution, had led to the sack of the state's former Speaker, Martins Okonta, three months ago.

Uweh had dragged the acting governor to court over allegation of unlawful substitution of his name by the state's chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Besides, Uweh was 'illegally' expelled from the party to pave the way for Obi's emergence as the 'anointed' candidate of the party for Ika North-East Constituency seat for the state's House of Assembly in 2007.

Uweh in Asaba yesterday said that he decided to withdraw the petition in order 'for peace to reign in Delta PDP'.

He said: 'He (Obi) did not pay N400 million compensation to me as it is being speculated. Any sacrifice I make for my people in Sam Obi's case is not a waste. After all, I have proved my point in court. I cannot tie the negotiators' hands, the donor's intention is what matters. What I have done is acceptable in any civilised nation. If politics is to serve and make life more meaningful for the people, I cannot be wrong then to serve as a commissioner having jostled for the House of Assembly in 2007'.