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Turner refutes allegation of wooing delegates with employment

 

Pauline Onyibe, Yenagoa

 

The Chairman of Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Ebinyo Turner on Sunday debunked reports that he was wooing   delegates with employment letters to enable them vote for him during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primaries.

It was alleged at the weekend that the chairman ahead of the primaries had been dishing out employment letters to some delegates to attract their votes.

It was said that he has already issued out over 50 of such employment letters to the delegates stating that most of the beneficiaries had received their first monthly salaries from the council.

But Turner, who is a House of Representatives aspirant for Ogbia federal constituency, reacting to the allegation said: “I heard about that rumour and it is unfortunate that politicians are playing dirty politics. Im the executive chairman of the local government and powers are within me to give employment as the third  tier of government.

“All that is just to blackmail me for the elections. If the appointment lasts for three months it doesn’t matter even the former governor gave appointments that lasted for three months. And in this instance now, the persons I’m giving appointments are also entitled to severance.

“It is not even the salary that they are going to get after three months that is the issue. It is the severance. How can I give 50 persons appointment? Do I have the money to give 50 persons appointment? Our local government does not even have money in the first place.

“It is people  that are scared of failing the election that are just blackmailing me. It is my right as the chairman of a local government to give employment in the first place.

“I have not even given employment but I intend to do that before I leave office. You don’t expect me to be in office and I didn’t employ any of my brother or sister.

“I’m the one that cleaned up the system. Before I came in, the local government was not paying salaries. The chairmen that came and went all they did was to load up wage bill and walk away and that was the reason why my local government owed up to 14 or 15 months salaries.”

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