Governor Carlos Soludo of Anambra State has denied speculation that the State Commissioner for Finance, Ifatu Onejeme, has resigned from his position over a disagreement between them.
Onejeme announced his resignation as finance commissioner on Thursday during the state executive council meeting.
He had served as finance commissioner under the administration of the former governor of the state, Willie Obiano, between 2014 and 2022.
The former commissioner’s resignation sparked speculation that he was forced to resign because of a rift with the governor over the state of the state’s finances.
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But in a statement on Friday from his spokesman, Christian Aburime, Soludo denied any rift with the former commissioner and said the speculation was “fabricated and sponsored.”
“The truth is that Mr. Ifatu Onejeme, an esteemed member of Governor Soludo’s government, resigned from his position for purely personal and family reasons,” the statement said.
“Therefore, the notion of a dispute between Governor Charles Soludo and Mr Onejeme over state finances is a complete falsehood and has no truth,” he added.
A state government official, who asked not to be named, told Newslodge on Saturday that Onejeme resigned to join his family in the United States, where they reside.
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“We were told that he (Onejeme) had been pressured by his wife to return to the United States and spend time with his family. He has been here (Nigeria) for about 10 years,” the official said.
“He resigned specifically because there were rumors that he had decided to stay in Nigeria to marry another wife here.”