Mass resignation in Ogun cabinet ahead 2023 elections

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.SSG, CoS, six commissioners, 27 others resign from Abiodun’s cabinet

Uba Group

BY MAYOWA SAMUEL

About 35 political appointees have allegedly resigned from the Ogun State cabinet ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Governor Dapo Abiodun had last week reportedly told political appointees wishing to run for office in the 2023 general elections to tender their resignation letters at a special desk in the office of the Secretary to the State Government.

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Those alleged to have resigned their appointments included the Secretary to the State Government, Tokunbo Talabi; Chief of Staff, Shuaibu Afolabi Salisu and Political Adviser, Samson Egbetokun.

According to sources, other appointees said to have resigned are Tunji Akinosi, Commissioner for Forestry; Afolabi Afuape, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs; Adijat Adeleye-Oladapo, Special Adviser on Women Affairs; Dapo Okubadejo, Commissioner for Finance/Economic Adviser to the Governor and Jagunmolu Akande Omoniyi, Commissioner for Housing.

While Salisu, Akinosi, Afuape, Okubadejo, Jagunmolu and Mrs. Adeleye-Oladapo are eyeing seats in the House of Representatives to represent Abeokuta North/Obafemi-Owode/Odeda, Ado-Odo/Ota, Abeokuta South, Ijebu Central, Yewa South/Ipokia, and Ifo/Ewekoro Federal Constituencies respectively, Talabi and Egbetokun are believed to be eyeing seats to represent Ogun East and Ogun Central respectively at the Senate.

The office of the SSG was said to have released a directive from the governor requiring political appointees wishing to run for office in the 2023 general elections to tender their resignation at a special desk in his office.

It was gathered that the process was taken to beat the clause in the new Electoral Act 2022 which provides that political appointees must completely vacate their office for eligibility to participate in party primaries.

Section 84 (12) of the new electoral law provides that: “No political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election.”

When The Point contacted some the appointees on the development, they neither confirmed nor denied the resignation story.

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