As the race toward the 2027 general elections begins to heat up, Nigeria’s Head of Civil Service, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, has cautioned public servants against dabbling in partisan politics while still in active service. She reminded them that the essence of the civil service is neutrality and loyalty to the government of the day, not political camps.
Speaking at the Quarterly Stakeholders and Citizens Engagement session in Abuja on Friday, Walson-Jack addressed concerns raised over a trending Supreme Court judgement on civil servants’ political rights. She clarified that while the ruling allows civil servants to be card-carrying members of political parties, it does not give them license to act in a partisan manner.
“It’s an old judgement and it still stands,” she explained. “Yes, civil servants can belong to a political party to protect their right of association, but that does not permit political activism. You must serve with neutrality and stick to the rules of your service.”
She stressed that any breach of these rules would attract strict sanctions, reiterating that civil servants must always place professionalism above personal political interests. For Walson-Jack, neutrality is not just a rule—it is the backbone of public trust in the civil service.
