Anosike Promises to Reinstate 15,000 Abia Workers if Elected Governor in 2027

UMUAHIA, Abia State — The 2027 governorship contest in Abia State is beginning to take shape around competing promises on workers’ welfare, employment and economic development, with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Kelechi Anosike pledging to reverse what he described as unjustified disengagements from the state public service.

Anosike said on Thursday that, if elected governor in 2027, his administration would recall about 15,000 workers whom he alleged were sacked or prematurely retired under the current administration of Governor Alex Otti.

The PDP candidate made the pledge while addressing members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Abia State Council, at the NUJ Press Centre in Umuahia during the council’s monthly congress.

Anosike questions basis for workers’ disengagement

Anosike argued that a government committed to workers’ welfare should not remove public servants from service before they reach the applicable retirement threshold, except where there are legitimate disciplinary or administrative grounds.

He maintained that workers who have not reached the prescribed retirement age or completed the required years of pensionable service should ordinarily be allowed to remain in employment.

According to him, some of the affected workers are reportedly in their 50s and were removed from service without what he described as queries or public inquiries.

He consequently promised that the workers would be considered for reinstatement if he wins the 2027 governorship election.

The 15,000 figure is an allegation made by the PDP candidate and was not independently established in the statement available for this report. The Abia State Government has previously disputed claims of a mass retrenchment of civil servants.

Abia’s civil service reforms provide background

The controversy over public-sector employment in Abia has its roots in a series of administrative reforms introduced after Governor Alex Otti assumed office in 2023.

In September 2023, the state government ordered the disengagement of workers employed during a specified period as part of an ongoing reorganisation of the public service. Contemporary reports said the directive covered workers employed from late 2022 or early 2023, depending on the category and period referenced.

Around the same period, the government also introduced changes affecting senior public servants, including a policy requiring Permanent Secretaries and heads of non-ministerial departments who had spent four years in office, as well as directors who had spent eight years in their positions, to proceed on retirement. The state’s existing retirement framework also referenced 60 years of age or 35 years of pensionable service, whichever came earlier.

The administration later rejected suggestions that it was planning a general mass layoff of civil servants. In September 2024, Otti said his government had no intention of conducting a mass retrenchment of the state workforce.

The government’s position has also included efforts to expand parts of the public workforce. In January 2025, for example, it announced plans to recruit more than 2,000 teachers into Abia’s public schools.

Anosike targets unemployment and youth migration

Beyond the issue of government workers, Anosike used his appearance before journalists to criticise what he described as inadequate employment opportunities in the state.

He said unemployment was pushing young Abians who had completed tertiary education to leave for cities such as Lagos and Abuja in search of jobs.

The PDP candidate said an administration led by him would pursue industrialisation and other youth-focused policies designed to create employment opportunities within Abia.

The promise forms part of a broader political message Anosike has been developing ahead of the 2027 election. Earlier in 2026, he identified areas including agriculture, civil-service welfare, youth empowerment, industrialisation and education as priorities under his proposed administration.

Roads, workers and the use of public funds

Anosike also criticised the Otti administration over its handling of funds accruing to the state following the removal of the petrol subsidy.

While acknowledging the emphasis placed on road infrastructure, he argued that government spending should also address other immediate needs affecting ordinary residents.

His criticism comes against the backdrop of the Otti administration’s emphasis on infrastructure and the repayment of inherited salary and pension obligations.

The state government said in 2025 that it had committed more than N40 billion toward settling salary and pension arrears inherited from previous administrations.

The administration has also highlighted regular payment of salaries and pensions as part of its record in office. Therefore, the debate over workers’ welfare in Abia is likely to remain a major issue in the 2027 campaign, with rival political camps presenting sharply different assessments of the government’s record.

Anosike tells journalists to scrutinise government

The PDP candidate also used the occasion to call for stronger scrutiny of government activities by journalists.

He described the media as the conscience of society and urged journalists not to become instruments for promoting political interests.

His comments come as political parties and candidates increasingly position themselves ahead of the 2027 elections, making accountability, public spending, employment and the performance of the incumbent administration likely areas of intense political debate.

What happens next?

Anosike’s promise to recall 15,000 workers would require more than a political declaration if implemented. A future administration would have to establish the identities and employment status of affected workers, determine the circumstances surrounding their disengagement or retirement, and examine the applicable public-service rules before deciding who could legally be reinstated.

The Abia electorate will ultimately decide whether Anosike’s proposed approach to public-sector reform, employment and industrialisation offers a preferable alternative to the policies of the incumbent administration.

For now, the proposed recall of the alleged 15,000 workers represents one of the clearest worker-focused promises emerging from the PDP campaign ahead of the 2027 Abia governorship election.