The Abia State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has described as “improper, unwarranted and unacceptable” the alleged attack by the state governor, Dr Alex Otti, on the leadership of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, Aba Diocese.
The opposition party was reacting to the Alex Otti administration’s response to the Church advice contained in a communiqué issued after its 17th Synod which advised it to fix the economic roads in Aba and desist from sacking civil servants employed in the State civil service.
The Aba Diocese of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, waded into the contentious sacking of workers by the Abia State Government, and advised Governor Otti to reverse the policy.
Thousands of workers, comprising those employed at the end of the PDP-led past administration of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and those considered to be drawing salary as “ghost workers” were “cleaned out” from the government payroll.
But the Church, rising from the Third Session of its 17th Synod, said sacking of civil servants “worsens the hardship in the society.”
The Church, in the communiqué signed by the Bishop of Aba Diocese, Rev. Christian Ugwuzo, and the Clerical Synod Secretary, Venerable Innocent Ogbonna, made it clear that it was not in support of the last minute mass employment carried out by the Ikpeazu administration, but noted that sacking workers would not right the wrong already done.
Meanwhile, the Abia State government, alleged that one of the signatories to the communiqué was executing a personal vendetta against Otti for not excluding the priest’s daughter from the names of civil servants that were recently disengaged, adding that the priest had before the Synod, also brought two other proposals to the governor which were all turned down.
