INEC yet to pay adhoc staff after pocketing N305 bn for 2023 elections

Adhoc staff prepare for showdown with INEC

AWKA, Anambra – Ad-hoc staff used by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Anambra State during the 2023 general elections have threatened to stage protest over none payment of their allowances.

They lamented that since the successful completions of the general election nobody is talking about their earned allowances. Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs), in unionism threatened to stage a peaceful protest in the state, or report the INEC official to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) if their allowances were not paid anytime soon.

This is coming barely two months after the much-talked-about election that gulped a whooping sum of N305 billion. The amount also covered preparation and conduct and the cost of engaging the ad-hoc staff.

However, while few of the temporary staff who worked in Anambra State have been partially paid; many others, especially the Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs), said they have not received anything from INEC for their services in the two elections, including the re-run and supplementary elections that held in different parts of the state thereafter.

Worried about the unfortunate situation, one of the affected SPOs in the state who spoke with journalists in Awka under the condition of anonymity, said they never expected that INEC would still owe them till this moment.

According to him,, considering all the stress, risk, and discomfort they took in the course of doing their job,they thought by now INEC would paid them off. He said the allowances for the presidential/ national and houses of assembly elections are yet to be paid to the SPOs in the State, likewise the allowance for the State Assembly poll and rerun election.

He said the worst of it all is that they don’t even know how much they are expecting from INEC as payment for their jobs, as they were not told the exact amount to be paid by the Commission.

Another affected ad-hoc staff in the state, who also pleaded anonymity, appealed to the state Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo, to prevail on the INEC officials in the state to pay them their money.

She said that some of the steps, consultations and efforts they had made to facilitate the immediate payment of their money to top INEC officials did yield results.

“They refused to listen to our plight. They refused to give us listening ears, let alone showing concern for our plights or how to solve the problem” she said

When contacted the Anambra state INEC Public Relations Officer Dr.kingley AGU,he demanded our reporter to come to his office on Monday,but when the reporter said that his reaction is urgent he cut off his phone . All other calls put to him after were not picked .

Meanwhile, all calls put to the state INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner Dr. Elizabeth Agwu did not yield any results as she did not pick her calls.