(DDM) – Confusion has trailed the sudden dismissal of 324 newly-recruited employees of the Edo State House of Assembly Service Commission after fresh details revealed that the controversial employment exercise exceeded the government-approved quota.
DDM gathered that the commission had been officially authorised to recruit only 300 workers, but the final list suddenly ballooned to 724 names following alleged political interference, lobbying, and pressure from influential individuals who reportedly submitted extra names beyond the approved number.
According to a senior insider familiar with the matter, the 324 workers who were sacked constituted the excess recruits who were added after the legitimate 300-person shortlist had already been completed.
The source disclosed that the dismissed individuals were part of the final batch and had not even completed the commission’s biometric process before the irregularities became public.
The insider added that there was a long-standing perception that recruitment into government offices could accommodate over-bloated lists, a practice the commission is now trying to correct.
The Chairman of the Edo State House of Assembly Service Commission, Sir Ezehi Igbas, confirmed that the affected workers were those wrongly included in the last batch of the recruitment exercise.
He explained that the letters issued to the 324 individuals were unauthorised and illegal, stressing that they did not go through proper approval channels.
In an earlier statement, Igbas declared that the controversial employment letters were null, void, and of no effect, insisting that the commission could not legitimise a process that violated recruitment guidelines.
The commission also issued a public apology to the affected individuals, acknowledging the inconvenience and distress caused by what it described as an improper and unlawful issuance of appointment letters.
Observers say the scandal highlights persistent issues in Nigeria’s public-sector hiring system, where political interests often override due process and fuel recruitment irregularities.
The development has sparked conversations on the need for stronger oversight, transparent hiring mechanisms, and strict adherence to approved staff quotas across government institutions.
The Edo Assembly Service Commission has pledged to sanitise the system and ensure that future recruitment strictly follows established rules and authorised limits, preventing similar controversies from recurring.