The governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has been cautioned not to recruit a large number of assistants in advance of the general elections in 2023 as previous governors have done, according to the pro-democracy organisation International Transparency and Good Governance for Africa Initiative.
Similar appointments made by Obaseki in 2020, according to a statement from the organisation signed by its executive director Cheryl Olusanya, were a major cause of the unrest in his state that followed the election.
The group claims that the recruitment of several advisers on the government payroll as a tactic to win elections in Nigeria is a terrible act of corruption that the legislative and anti-graft institutions must investigate to safeguard the country's democracy. The group has therefore called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other anti-graft agencies to garner enough political will to deal with the situation.
The group condemned the recent appointment of no fewer than 40,000 Special Assistants and Senior Special Assistants by the Rivers state government on the eve of general elections, calling it an “act capable of discrediting elections in the country.”
The group noted that it monitored the 2020 governorship election in Edo state and suggested in its report that the appointment of numerous aides by Governor Obaseki was part of the causes of the crises that came up before and during the election.
“Appointment of aides ahead of the election is a mockery of our democracy. We have seen thousands of SSAs and SAs appointed for election purposes in Zamfara, Cross Rivers, Delta, Niger, Bayelsa and many other states of the federation. It is not only uneconomic and wasteful but a setback for our democracy by those we trusted,’’ it said.
The group said Nigerian governors were abusing the mandate given to them by the people to superintend over the treasury and using it for selfish purposes. The group urged the National Assembly to find a way out of this political menace and abuse of office by public officers in Nigeria.
The group called on Governor Obaseki to direct the monies for the salaries of those illegal aides into roads and other infrastructure development, declaring: “That is why you were elected into public office as Governor,”
It further stated that most political aides appointed by governors a few months before elections always come with ‘a do-or-die’ mindset to win elections, so that they can be recognised and rewarded by their employers.
It described such appointments as ‘illegal, corrupt and daylight rigging.’
The group advised the EFCC and other anti-graft agencies to collaborate with government agencies and INEC on how to prosecute such governors after leaving the office for corruption.