CR Political Appointees Lose Salaries In SSG Vs. Comm Of Works Feud

Some political appointees in the Ben Ayade administration have just discovered that their names may have been taken off the payroll for August salaries in circumstances that have been linked to a titanic political battle suspected to be playing out between Tina Banku Agbor, Secretary to the Cross River State Government and Dane Osim Asu, Commissioner of Works, for the political soul of their native Boki Local Government Area.

We reliably gathered that the political appointees, mostly of Boki extraction, had approached the Office of the Head of Service when it became clear that while other political appointees started receiving salary alerts last week, theirs had not arrived at all. On enquiries, it was discovered that a list compiled and forwarded to the HOS, contained the names of the appointees in question. After subtly protesting their plight, the appointees were directed to go clear with the SSG’s office.

From Boki, sources in the area informed that the SSG who has sights set firmly on the Boki/Ikom Federal Constituency seat, may have resorted to brow beating political appointees from Boki into supporting her. Dane Asu, www.calitown.com was also informed, has somehow refused to lend his percieved massive political support in the area to the SSG’s ambition, triggering a chain of reactions, one of which is this matter at hand. “The SSG bought and distributed wrappers during the Boki New Yam Festival, we do not quarrel with that but if she gave our mothers these wrappers so that we can compulsively queue behind her, she has made a wrong calculation. In Boki, we choose who to politically support and no compulsive tactics can change that”, one source said.

Recall too that Asu, was selected by Commissioners and Special Advisers of Boki extraction as the political leader of Boki, a decision the SSG has not embraced, insisting rather that as the most senior political appointee of Boki extraction, she reserves the right to political leadership of the LGA. This disagreement political watchers believe has been expressed in the removal of these names, seen as loyal to Asu. We were unable to get reactions from the SSG and Asu at press time but Government House sources hinted that while the SSG and Asu are not the best of friends, “we cannot readily drag the SSG into what we cannot verify”, the Government House source insisted. We can also inform that there is a planned demonstration being put together by those affected as state governor, Ben Ayade returns to the state.