Jonathan’s Chief of Staff quits

President Goodluck Jonathan’s Chief of Staff was forced to resign yesterday reportedly because of alleged involvement with matters that embarrassed the government, though an official said he left for other political pursuits.Mr. Mike Oghiadomhe, 55, resigned his appointment to pursue “other political necessities,” Presidential spokesman Reuben Abati told journalists in Abuja yesterday evening.Hours earlier, reports […]

President Goodluck Jonathan’s Chief of Staff was forced to resign yesterday reportedly because of alleged involvement with matters that embarrassed the government, though an official said he left for other political pursuits.
Mr. Mike Oghiadomhe, 55, resigned his appointment to pursue “other political necessities,” Presidential spokesman Reuben Abati told journalists in Abuja yesterday evening.
Hours earlier, reports on the Internet said Jonathan demanded the Chief of Staff’s resignation over his alleged involvement with the issues surrounding the $20 billion missing oil sales money.
But Abati said the reports were “completely callous and unreasonable”, as Oghiadomhe simply resigned to pursue his political ambitions, following the president’s instruction to appointees nursing political ambitions to step aside.
“The president received the letter today which is titled ‘Letter of Resignation’ and it says he wishes to pursue other political necessities in our great party,” he said.
“You would recall that about two weeks ago before the president travelled to Ethiopia, he announced in council that if there was any member of the cabinet or any major political appointee who wants to pursue some other political roles, that he had been hearing rumours that some people maybe wanted to go and 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’re 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.
“So, we find the speculation, particularly by some of the online platforms, callous, completely unreasonable considering that this is a man who has served and given time and energy to the pursuit of the good interest of our country.”
On whether a new chief of staff to the president was appointed, Abati said: “Not yet.”
Oghiadomhe, a former Edo State deputy governor, had been chief of staff to the president since early 2010 when Jonathan became Acting President.
He was earlier Deputy Chief of Staff to the President during President Umaru Yar’Adua’s time, and was at the time serving in the office of then-Vice President Jonathan.
Despite Abati’s insistence on why Oghiadomhe resigned, Daily Trust reports that there is more to the resignation than was officially announced.
While the rumours of the Chief of Staff’s firing were on earlier yesterday, Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole and the chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees Tony Anenih, also from Edo State, met with Jonathan behind closed doors.
It was soon after this that Abati announced the resignation. A source in the Presidency, who pleaded not to be named, told our correspondent that the removal might also be related to Oghiadomhe’s alleged failure to write to Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Wamakko that the president would visit the state last Saturday.
Jonathan was in Sokoto on Saturday to formally receive former governor Attahiru Bafarawa into the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
According to the source, the president was angry that Oghiadomhe flouted his directive to intimate Wamakko of the visit, and wrote to Deputy Governor Muktari Shagari instead.
“The president felt embarrassed when he learnt that the chief of staff did not write the governor. The governor did not come out to welcome the president because he was not officially communicated to that the president was coming to his state,” the source said.
Our correspondent reports that Jonathan, though around in the State House, was absent at the global conference on power sector financing earlier held yesterday at the Presidential Villa. He was represented by the vice president.
Daily Trust learnt that the president was, at the time the conference was going on, holding a meeting with Oghiadomhe over the reasons why he had to step aside.
Following Oghiadomhe’s removal, the name of Chief Raymond Dokpesi is being mentioned as the possible replacement. Mr. Dokpesi is a close ally of the president, and is reported to be handling re-election efforts for Jonathan. He is chairman of the private Daar Communications which owns the African Independent Television (AIT) and RayPower Radio.
Dokpesi’s name has long been mentioned as a contender for the post of chief of staff. But political analysts say that because of emerging political realities, the president might look further afield for Oghiadomhe’s replacement.