Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River has sacked four commissioners and five special advisers shortly after defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mr Ayade’s media aide, Christian Ita, announced the sack on Monday in Calabar.
The sacked officials are information commissioner, Asu Okang, and Mr Donatus Etim, who headed the Ministry of Climate Change.
Others are Rita Ayim (Commissioner for Women Affairs) and Mike Usibe (Commissioner for New Cities Development).
The affected special advisers are Leo Inyambe (special security adviser), John Etim, (Oil Palm Development), Orok Duke (special adviser on Callywood), Victor Okon, and Agbiji Mbeh-Agbiji.
The statement said:
Consequently, they are hereby directed to return government properties and vehicles in their care with immediate effect to the Chief of Staff to the governor.
The governor thanked them for their services to the state and wished them well in their future endeavours.
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Recall that Governor Ayade, defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) recently after months of speculations that he would do so.
He announced his departure from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while hosting six APC governors who visited him in Calabar, the state capital.
The visiting governors were Mai Mala Buni of Yobe, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, Hope Uzodinma of Imo, Simon Lalong of Plateau, Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa and Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti.
Although it is not exactly clear why the Cross River governor left the platform that brought him to power in 2015, he has for months complained about being poorly treated by the PDP.
With his defection, Governor Ayade becomes the only APC governor from the South-South geopolitical zone.
