Jonathan sacks PEF, NCMDB Fund boss, appoints replacement

President Goodluck Jonathan continued his last gale of appointment and sack of public office holders on Tuesday with the removal from office of the executive secretaries of Petroleum Equalisation Fund, PEF and the Nigeria Content Management Development Board, NCMDB.

The presidency announced the appointment of Asabe Asmau Ahmed as the new Executive Secretary of PEF.

The new appointee, who is currently the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, takes over from Sharon Adefunke Kasali who has been Executive Secretary of PEF since 2007.

Twist as appeal committee chair sacks NFF boss, Pinnick

Barely 24 hours after the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Electoral Appeals Committee upheld the 30 September polls that produced the Amaju Pinnick-led executive, the Chairman of the Committee, Okey Ajunwa, has nullified the same elections.

Ajunwa’s ruling which annulled the election of Amaju Pinnick and Seyi Akinwunmi as Chairman and Vice of the NFA board contradicts the ruling of three other members of the committee who upheld the polls on Wednesday.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Thursday, Mr. Ajunwa said other committee members who “hastily” upheld the September polls are not legal practitioners and were ignorant of the law.

“None of them is a lawyer, I am the lawyer and I know the law, I have gathered the results of the committee and I will read them out in accordance with FIFA and CAF rules,” Mr. Ajunwa told journalist Thursday in Abuja.

Fayose sacks Speaker’s aides

Ekiti State Government on Tuesday terminated the appointment of all aides to the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly.

This is contained in a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Modupe Alade in Ado-Ekiti.

Those relieved of their appointment include Messrs Wole Olujobi, Special Adviser (SA) (Media), Ojobamikan Dele, SA (Political) and Lawrence Awelewa, SA (Special Duties) to the Speaker.

Also on the list are Messrs Wande Omirin, SA (Youth Matters), Orija Samuel, Chief of Staff, and Sanmi Adeeko, PA to the Speaker.

Others are Mr Taiwo Oluwaleye, SA (Media) to the Deputy Speaker, and Adedipe Esther, SA (Media) to the Majority Leader.

The statement directed all the affected aides to hand over all government property in their possession to the Clerk of the House before the close of office on Tuesday.

In another development, Ekiti state government denied claims by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that Ekiti state Speaker, Dr. Adewale Omirin had been impeached.

Chief Press Secretary to Gov Ayo Fayose, Mr Idowu Adelusi said in a statement that the legislature, by its rules, forms a quorum with nine members, ``and 10 were at the sitting and not seven as the APC had claimed.’’

``Fayose was never near the Assembly Complex and Nigerians should ask APC leaders why they are always the ones that are right and others are wrong.

``In the APC-controlled state of Edo, Gov. Adams Oshiomhole has shut down the assembly for many months now.

``APC lawmakers hold their meetings in the governor's bedroom at Osadebay Avenue, GRA, Benin. Nothing is wrong with that as the PDP members have been shut out!

``In another APC state of Rivers, courts have been shut down for over a year.

``Gov. Rotimi Amaechi wanted to appoint his man as the Chief Judge of the state and nothing is still wrong with that’’, added the statement.

It would be recalled that the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had in a statement said the Speaker, Dr. Adewale Omirin, had been impeached.

Mohammed had alleged that seven PDP members in the House impeached the Speaker.