The Ekiti State Government has sacked no fewer than 2,000 workers employed by the immediate past governor, Ayo Fayose, after the July 2018 gubernatorial election.

The decision followed deliberations by the State Executive Council on the report of the committee headed by the deputy governor, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi, that reviewed irregular appointments made between 2014 and 2018.

The government said the recruitment exercise violated due process.

It was gathered that the affected 2, 000 workers comprises 600 teachers recruited into the Teaching Service Commission, 400 personnel employed into the State Universal Basic Education Board and 1,000 injected into the system through the Office of Establishment and Training, among others.

Briefing the journalists on the development in Ado, the state capital, on Thursday, the Commissioner for Information, Tourism and Values Orientation, Mr. Muyiwa Olumilua, declared the appointments were null and void because they were done hurriedly with ulterior motives and in bad faith.

The Commissioner disclosed that the governor had directed the Head of Service, Mr Ayodeji Ajayi, to collate all available vacancies in the Civil Service, with a view to recruiting suitable and qualified Ekiti citizens into the Public Service, irrespective of religious and political affinities.

Olumilua, however, urged the affected workers to participate in the next recruitment exercise to be announced in due course.

“All appointments made after the Gubernatorial Election of July 2018, violated due process, are hereby cancelled and declared null and void.

“And all affected workers are advised to participate in the next recruitment exercise to be announced in due course”, Olumilua said.

He added: “The officers reinstated into the Local Government Service Commission between October 16th, 2014 and October 15th, 2018 are to be reabsorbed by the relevant Personnel Board, and migrated to biometric payroll.

“All 272 officers employed by the Governor Fayose Administration, who are still on manual payroll, shall be considered for absorption into the Civil Service but on case-by-Case basis. Absorption will be conditional on availability of vacancies.

“The 169 officers recruited in 2014 but had their appointments terminated by the Governor Fayose Administration, shall be considered for re-absorption by the Ekiti State House of Assembly Service Commission, But on a Case-by-case basis. Reabsorption will be conditional on availability of vacancies in their previous offices of appointment.

“Officers dismissed between October 16th, 2014 and October 15th 2018 in the Ministries of Justice, Works and Transport, Environment, SUBEB, Teaching Service Commission, Hospital Management Board should go to the Office of Establishment to ascertain their current status”, he said.

Meanwhile, Fayose’s Media Aide Lere Olayinka has described the development as an act of wickedness and extreme degree of political vendetta.

Olayinka, in a statement on Wednesday, said,

“Fayemi has only succeeded in writing his name in the history books of Ekiti as one who inflicts pains and sorrow on the people.”

Olayinka added that; “Fayemi has only demonstrated the wickedness in his heart by sacking Ekiti sons and daughters who were duly employed by the state government.

“It will be on record that the PDP government of Ayodele Fayose gave jobs to over 2,000 unemployed youths in Ekiti while the APC government of Kayode Fayemi sacked them.

“Also, whoever that applauds this show of wickedness will be reminded in future when actions of Fayemi will also be reviewed.

“As for those sons and daughters of Ekiti who have now become victims of Fayemi’s wickedness and political vendetta, they should place their hope in God and enforce their rights to seek redress in the court of law.”

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Com Sola Adigun, appealed to the government not to use the error and mistake of the past government to mete out punishment on innocent workers.

” This is not a fight, but a plea to the government to allow them to remain in the system. We are going to see Governor Fayemi and Head of Service Ayodeji Ajayi to please stop this recurrent issue of government sacking those employed by their predecessors,” he said.