the sudden resignation of President GoodluckJonathan’s Chief of Staff , Chief MikeOghiadomhe.

Chief Mike Oghiadomhe
There was controversy in Abuja on Monday over
the sudden resignation of President Goodluck
Jonathan’s Chief of Staff , Chief Mike
Oghiadomhe.
While the Special Adviser to the President on
Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, told State
House correspondents that Oghiadomhe quit in
order to pursue his political ambition, The PUNCH
learnt that Jonathan directed him to do so.
Investigations in Abuja showed that the President
ordered Oghiadomhe to resign in order to create a
safe landing for him.

It was learnt that the directive was handed over to
the former CoS shortly after he attended a
meeting of the planning committee of the nation’s
centenary celebration inside the Presidential Villa
alongside some other top government officials.
Sources in the Villa linked Oghiadomhe’s exit to a
breach of protocol reportedly observed in the
President’s visit to Sokoto State on Saturday.
Jonathan was in Sokoto to receive a former
governor of the state, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa,
who defected to the Peoples Democratic Party
from the All Progressives Congress.
One of the sources said instead of intimating
Governor Aliyu Wammako of the President’s visit
to the state, Oghiadomhe chose to write his
deputy, Alhaji Muktar Shagari.
Oghiadomhe’s decision must have been taken
based on the fact that Wammako had last year
defected to the APC alongside four other erstwhile
PDP governors. His deputy however opted to
remain in the PDP.
The source said, “Governor Wammako was not
happy with the fact that the President visited his
state without informing him.
“The issue was brought to the knowledge of the
President and he was angry when he confirmed
that the Chief of Staff did not write the governor.
“You will recall that Governor Murtala Nyako
personally received the President when he visited
Yola, Adamawa State recently despite the fact that
he had also left the PDP.
“Although this latest development cannot be taken
in isolation of some other lapses that have been
recorded against him, you will agree that it was
not a good thing for a President, who is still
looking at ways of wooing the defected governors
back into the PDP.”
Abati, however, told journalists that
Oghiadomhe, who was Edo State deputy governor
during the administration of Lucky Igbinedion,
indicated his desire to resign in a letter dated
February 10, 2014.
According to the presidential aide, Oghiadomhe
stated in his letter that he was quitting “to
pursue other political necessities in our great
party(PDP).”
He added that the resignation had nothing to do
with what he called the speculations that were
being spread online.
Abati said, “There is 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 news portal
has tried to put out.
“The President received the letter today (Monday)
which is titled letter of resignation and it says he
wishes to pursue other political necessities in our
great party.
“You will 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 want
to pursue some other political roles, that he had
been hearing rumours that some people wanted
to go and pursue other things in whatever
capacity, that such people were going to be
engaged heavily in political activities, they should
let him know.
“ The President said that 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 that 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 who had 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
and the President personally would like to wish
him well in his future endeavours.”
Abati said no replacement had been named.
It will however be recalled that there will be no
governorship election in Edo State till 2017 since
Governor Adams Oshiomhole started his second
term last year.
It is however not clear if Oghiadomhe is planning
to contest National Assembly election.
Oshiomhole had had a brief closed- door
session with the President ostensibly on the
resignation of Oghiadomhe before it was made
public.
Oshiomhole told journalists that he wanted to
visit Oghiadomhe in his office before he would
return to talk to them.
Before the governor arrived in the CoS’s office,
Oghiadomhe had left. Oshiomhole did not return
to talk to journalists.
There was however jubilation among workers in
the Villa as the news of the CoS exit filtered in.
Another source told our correspondent that
Oghiadomhe started packing his personal
belongings from his office over the weekend, an
indication that he saw his removal coming.
From punch news