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In a rare show of courage and an obvious break with the tradition of Presidential esprit de corps, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday fired his friend and Chief of Staff, COS, Mr Mike Oghiadomhe. Jonathan and Oghiadomhe had been long standing friends from their days as deputy governors in Bayelsa and Edo states. Their friendship became more consummated when Jonathan became the president and invited Oghiadomhe to be his COS.
While Oghiadomhe’s dislocation from Aso Rock was packaged to the public as resignation, Political Economist can reveal that the touted resignation was a mere smokescreen. Corruption and political betrayal were the real reasons for the red card. A source close to both men said the sack took long in coming.
Oghiadomhe sack came on the heels of mounting speculations that he may be involved in the sleazy deals in the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The President was said to have warned the COS repeatedly against the backdrop of damning security reports linking him with some dirty deals in the NNPC.
According to sources at the Presidential Villa, Jonathan asked Oghiadomhe to resign earlier today, sparing him the humiliation of an outright sack.
It was also gathered that, the former Chief of Staff had not been viewed as a loyalists by the kitchen cabinet of Jonathan, as he was viewed as a man who only looked out for himself , his son and his wife. Politically, Oghiadomhe was said to be sitting on the fence as regards the re-election bid of President Jonathan.
The President is said to be considering a few names as possible replacement for Oghiadomhe and top on the list is Chief Raymond Dokpesi who has been a close ally of Mr President and who hails from the same state with Oghiadomhe. Besides Oghiadomhe was said to be aloof from his political peers from Edo State.
Aside from his lack of closer ties with other geo-political zones, his kinsmen have consistently insisted he be removed. The plot to remove Oghiadomhe from the juicy position thickened last September with his expulsion from the PDP by leaders of the party from six councils of Edo North Senatorial District, his purported political stronghold.
Edo North PDP leaders and stakeholders meeting was held at Polaris Hotel, Jattu-Affasio near, Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area. The party leaders at the meeting were drawn from Owan East, Owan West, Etsako Central, Etsako East, Etsako West and Akoko-Edo councils.
Deliberations at the gathering was chaired by a former member of the House of Representatives and deputy governorship candidate of the PDP in the April 14, 2012 governorship election in the state, Johnson Agbolaba.
Sources in the PDP indicate that the majority of the party leaders and members from the senatorial district are not comfortable with Ogiadomhe’s leadership style and are not getting the desired impact in terms of development.
Leadership of the party from the senatorial zone had at that stakeholders meeting passed a vote of no confidence on the chief of staff, insisting that his position at the Presidency has not translated into any positive dividends of democracy to the benefit of people of the area.
