By Kokoroyo Martins, Asaba
That Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State and his predecessor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, are not in good terms was confirmed on Wednesday as Uduaghan’s aides sued the governor for not paying their severance package.
To prevent an executive interference in the judicial process, the aides did not sue the governor in the South-South state.
They went to a High Court in Anambra State to file the charges.
The aides, who were angry that they served the state meritoriously for eight years, wondered why the governor refused to pay them, maintaining that it was Uduaghan who paid the aides of his predecessor, Chief James Ibori, when he assumed office in 2007.
According to them, the former governor would have paid the money before leaving office on May 29, 2015 but for the fact that the Accountant-General of the state eloped shortly before Uduaghan handed over to Okowa.
They demanded for N10 million as exemplary damages for the long delay and refusal to pay the said benefit and N1 million for cost of bringing the action.
Joined in the suit are the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief Festus Ovie Agas and the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, Mr. Peter Mrakpor.
The severance in dispute is payable once in a life time upon successful completion of tenure and pursuant to the Remuneration, Salaries, Allowances, Gratuities and Pensions of Certain Public Officers and Bodies (Amendment) Law of Delta State 2013 (As Amended).
They claimed that the defendant (Okowa) has “blatantly” refused to pay off their individual N2,280,000 entitlements as stipulated in the above law since he assumed office.
The case, with suit No. NICN/ASB/04/2017, filed by C. C. Uwakina, former Personal Assistant to the Chief of Staff, Government House, Chief Festus Okubor, on behalf of the claimants, including Henry Unini, Tonwe Kingsley, Okoh Azino Emuhohwo and other former aides, claimed that “Upon leaving office, letters of no-indebtedness duly signed by the former Director, Finance and Administration, Government House, Mr. M.O. Oghene, dated 23rd June 2015, was sent to us, indicating that we are not indebted to the state government.”
Wondering why the Governor has vehemently refused to pay them from June 2011 to May 29, 2015, they recalled that Uduaghan, upon assumption of office in 2007, paid all the aides who served under Ibori within six months in office.
They accused the incumbent Secretary to the State Government (SSG) of frustrating several attempts to seek audience with his boss.
An affidavit in support of motion, deposed to by the first claimant, Henry Unini, on behalf of other claimants, disclosed that each of them is entitled to N2,280,000.
“That I have the consent and authority of the 2nd to 6th claimants in this suit to depose to this affidavit for myself and on their behalf. That the claimants in this suit are former political aides to the Executive Governor of Delta State between the month of June 2011 to 29th of May, 2015.
“That the 1st defendant is the head of government of Delta State and Chief Executive Officer as well as the Chief Accounting Officer of the State. That the 2nd defendant is a servant of the 1st defendant and a top government functionary in Delta State with powers of supervision and approval on matters relating to political appointees.
The claimants maintained that the 3rd defendant, who is the Chief Law Officer of the state charged with the responsibility of advising the governor on legal matters as well as
undertaking litigations, was joined in the suit for failing to discharge his duty.
“That we were not given official cars throughout our tenure, even when they were approved by the State Executive Council. That upon our appointments as political aides to the Governor of Delta State, we were issued letters of appointment to that effect by the Secretary to the State Government. That having held our offices and completed our tenure successfully, we are entitled to severance gratuity as provided for in our appointment letters.
“That Item (viii) of my appointment letters entitles us to severance gratuity, payable once in a life time upon successful completion of tenure and pursuant to the Remuneration, Salaries, Allowances, Gratuities and Pensions of Certain Public Officers and Bodies (Amendment) Law of Delta State 2013 (As Amended).
“That upon the successful completion of our tenure we wrote several letters as individuals and as a group to the defendants, they refused and neglected to pay me the said money. That after a long delay/ refusal to pay us the said money, we also wrote a pre-action notice to the defendants, yet the defendants did not respond. That we are individually entitled to the sum of N2,280, 000.00 (two million two hundred and eighty thousand naira) each, being the debt owed us by the defendants as severance gratuity.
