5th January, 2018
The Akwa Ibom governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, has sacked his Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Udo Ekpenyong, from his 21-member state executive council.
The removal of the Commissioner was announced in a statement issued on Friday in Uyo by the State Information and Strategy Commissioner, Mr Charles Udoh.
Udoh, who described the sack of his colleague as minor change in the State Executive Council, said that the removal was with immediate effect.
The Information Commissioner noted that the governor had expressed appreciation to Ekpenyong for the services he rendered to the state and wished him well in his future endeavour.
Mr Udo Ekpenyong was sworn in as Commissioner on Dec. 1, 2016 following cabinet reshuffle after one year in office.
READ: Labour to block filling stations selling above pump price
Though no official reason was given for Ekpenyong’s sack but it was gathered that the removal of the commissioner might not be unnconnected with an alleged financial impropriety.
It was alleged that the commissioner usually deducted some money from the monthly allocations due to the 31 local government areas in the state.
He was also alleged to have flouted the governor’s instruction that no current transition chairman should be allowed to contest local government council election held on Dec. 2, 2017.
More than one-third of the elected council chairmen in Akwa Ibom are immediate past transition chairmen.