The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused outgoing Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, of converting his political appointees into full-time civil servants just days before the handover to the new administration.
The APC claims that this move is an attempt by Obaseki to burden the incoming government with a large recurrent expenditure, especially given the state’s already significant debt burden.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Prince Kassim Afegbua, a member of the APC transition committee, alleged that Obaseki had been converting his Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) and Special Assistants (SAs) into permanent civil service positions.
According to Afegbua, 186 appointees were converted in September 2024, and another 152 appointees are currently undergoing conversion through an ongoing interview process.
“The governor is attempting to absorb these aides into the civil service in an effort to leave a bloated civil service that will further strain the state’s resources,” Afegbua said. “He is well aware of the massive debt burden the state is already facing.”
The APC also claimed that despite numerous vacancies in the civil service, Obaseki had not prioritized recruiting civil servants throughout his tenure.
The party pointed out that the governor had only recently set up the Civil Service Commission, just two weeks before the end of his administration.
“This move is a deliberate attempt to further stretch the state’s resources and saddle the incoming administration of Senator Monday Okpebholo with unnecessary financial burdens,” Afegbua added.
“Anyone who has been wrongly absorbed into the civil service or given a backdated appointment letter will be dismissed by the incoming administration.”
However, the Edo State Government has dismissed these claims as false.
Crusoe Osagie, the state government’s spokesperson, described the APC’s allegations as baseless and misleading.
Osagie said the Obaseki administration had been employing workers over the past few years in the interest of the state.
“These claims about overburdening the state with new workers are misleading,” Osagie said.
“The government has been employing workers for some time, and it’s disingenuous for the APC to claim that the governor is suddenly making last-minute appointments. These workers are being engaged in the best interest of Edo State.”
Osagie also rejected the APC’s assertion about state debt, calling it a distortion of the facts.
He insisted that the Obaseki administration had acted responsibly in its recruitment efforts and that such claims were part of an effort to discredit the outgoing government as it prepares to hand over to the new leadership.
