Chuks Okocha in Abuja
Baring any further changes, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would reduce its staff strength by 50 per cent between now and December this year.
The much-rumoured staff reduction by the main opposition party was recently confirmed when the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus and his members of the National Working Committee (NWC) met with the over 120 staff of the party.
According to some members of staff that spoke to THISDAY on the outcome of the meeting, the national chairman and members of the NWC confirmed that there would be a reduction in the staff strength by 50 per cent.
A staff at the meeting who pleaded anonymity told THISDAY that “the chairman and the members of the NWC confirmed that there would be reduction of staff strength by 50 per cent between now and December this year; we were also told that a committee has been set up by the NWC but the committee has not submitted its report. We don’t know the criteria or terms of references for the reduction in staff strength. But one thing that we are taking home is that there would be a reduction in staff strength.”
It was gathered that PDP has over 120 staff strength at its headquarters in Abuja and medium grade including those on the directorate level and junior staff.
The staff strength increased when the Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI), a research arm of the party, was merged in 2016 with the PDP headquarters.
The bloated wage bill of PDP was said to be more than N65 million per month. But as the fortunes of the party nosedived and funding reduced, it was agreed to reduce the staff strength to meet the financial powers of the party.
One of the staff said they were told at the meeting that the staff strength of the ruling APC is not more 45, whereas in the United Kingdom that the staff strength of the conservative party is merely 27, explaining that the conservatives hire ad-hoc staff during elections or when there is need for increased labour.
The PDP workers, it was gathered accepted their fate but asked that they should be paid a severance benefits as stated in the establishment manual, the NWC members told them that there would be no severance benefits since the party is not a government agency.
