Dame Patience Jonathan has resigned her appointment as Permanent Secretary in the Bayelsa State Ministry of Education over an alleged rift with the state governor, Seriake Dickson.
Mrs Jonathan is the wife of President Goodluck Jonathan and was one of the 17 Permanent Secretaries appointed in 2012 by Dickson. Her appointment was then greeted with mixed feelings, with many describing it as political.
According to reports, the President’s wife is at loggerheads with Dickson because she does not support his re-election as governor of Bayelsa. She is said to be in support of her husband’s Special Assistant on Domestic Matters, Waripamowei Dudafa, as governor of the state, which the governor, her boss, is not happy with.
Mrs Jonathan is presently 57 and in three years’ time, should would have attained the retirement age of 60 for civil servants in Nigeria. From information gathered by our correspondent, the First Lady will still get her terminal benefits.
This is not the first time the President’s wife would engage in cold war with a governor. Not too long ago, a battle line was drawn between her and Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi. The First Lady is from Rivers State while her husband hails from Bayelsa State. Their rift almost brought down the state, with the state lawmakers divided between the two warring parties.
