Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State has pardoned all the political appointees whose October salaries, he placed on hold as a result of their coming late to a state function on Monday.
Those affected by the governor’s action included his deputy chief of staff, commissioners, special advisers and council chairmen.
Announcing the suspension of the salaries on the occasion of a school debate organised to mark the 55th independence anniversary of the country, Umahi said it was wrong of the appointees to come late to the event.
The event also marked the 19th anniversary of the creation of Ebonyi State.
Apart from the forfeiture of their October salaries, the governor also stopped their September allowances and overhead.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Emma Anya, on Tuesday, conveyed the governor’s pardon to the affected appointees after learning that most of them went to a state function, which made them come late to the event.
The statement explained that the pardon was “in the general interest of the state and out of the large-heartedness of the state governor”.
The statement also denied that the deputy governor was locked out of the venue of the event.
