Omo-Agege Gives 11th April Deadline To Appointees With Political Ambition To Resign

Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, the Nigerian deputy senate president has given all appointees serving under him but with political ambition till11th April to resign their appointment.

The directive in a 30th March memo signed by Olive Igbuzor, his Chief of staff to all the staff in his office, said the order is in line with the recent provision of the amended electoral act.

Section 84 (12) of the Act 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 nomination of candidates for any election”.

This means that political appointee who intends to be voting delegate or stand as aspirants for elective positions in a primary election shall, first of all, resign their appointments. For a political appointee, the failure to resign an appointment before voting as a delegate or standing as an aspirant in a primary election is a violation of the electoral act and further renders the primary election null and void and illegal.

Igbuzor in the memo titled “Resignation of All Political Appointees”, issued 30th March, shortly after the 26th March convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC), ordered all the political appointees who are delegates for those in elective positions or party positions to resign by 11th April.

“I wish to draw the attention of all political appointees who are delegates to the state house of assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, Governorship and presidential primaries election including those holding positions in the party to please put in their letter of resignation”.

” This has become expedient as a result of the provision of the recently amended electoral act”.

“All resignation letters should get to the office of the deputy president of the senate not later than the 11th of April 2022.

” Above is for the attention and prompt response of all concerned political appointees of the Deputy President of the Senate.

With this directive, Omo-Agege has distinguished himself as the first to align with the provision of section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act 22.

The provision of the act stirred controversy following a ruling from the Federal High Court, Umuahia, Abia State which ordered the Attorney General of the Federation to nullify it owing to the refusal of the National Assembly to remove it as demanded by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Buhari had in a February 28th letter to the National Assembly sought the amendment of the provision to allow sitting cabinet members and other political appointees to vote as a delegate and also be voted for.

The president in the letter said the provisions of Section 84(12) constitute a “defect” that conflicts with extant Constitutional provisions.

Buhari said the section constitutes a disenfranchisement of serving political office holders from voting or being voted for at Conventions or Congresses of any Political Party, for the nomination of candidates for any election in cases where it holds earlier than 30 days to the Election.

The Senate, however, rejected the President’s request following the failure of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill to scale through second reading during plenary.

Senator Adamu Aliero asked that the amendment be stepped down citing rule 52(5) of the Senate Standing Order that provides that, “Reference shall not be made to any matter on which a judicial decision is pending, in such a way as might in the opinion of the President of the Senate prejudice the interest of parties thereto.”