Chief Mike Oghiadomhe, chief of staff to President Goodluck Jonathan, has resigned from his position.His resignation, huhuonline.com learnt, took effect from Monday.
“In view of the political exigencies in the country, I wish to resign from my position as chief of staff”, Oghiadomhe wrote in the single-paragraph letter of resignation.
He thanked President Jonathan, “a friend and a brother”, for the opportunity to serve, and also pledged his continued loyalty to the the president, the People`s Democratic Party (PDP), and the country.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati onfirmed the resignation to State House correspondents but claimed that Oghiadomhe’s resignation was voluntarily and predicated by the need to pursue other political ambitions.
“Nothing extensive to say other than to confirm that the Chief of Staff has resigned his appointment and it has nothing to do with the speculation that one online has tried to put out”, he said.
“The president received the letter today, and it says he wishes to pursue other political necessities in our great party. You would recall that about two weeks ago before the president travelled to Ethiopia, he announced in the council that if there was any member of the cabinet or any major political appointee who wants to pursue some other political roles, he had been hearing rumours that some people maybe wanted to pursue other things in whatever capacity; that such people are going to be engaged heavily in political activities, they should let him know; and if they see that they are going to be really busy, and such activities may occupy their time extraordinarily, they should please step aside or come and see him for discussion. That you can confirm; it happened in the open floor of the council. And you can see what I have pointed out as the reason for the chief of staff’s resignation is in line with that.
He censured the speculation particularly by some online platforms that the resignation was motivated by the chief of staff’s complicity in corruption-related matters, describing the reports as callous and completely unreasonable, as this is a man who has served and given time and energy to the pursuit of the good interest of our country.
“Mr. President appreciates his contributions and he would like to put on record that indeed, he was a man who discharged his responsibilities diligently and the country is very grateful to him”, Abati maintained. “The president personally would like to wish him well in his future endeavours”.
