INEC adhoc staff protest against non-payment of election allowances in Anambra

 

AWKA, Anambra, Nigeria – Hundreds of adhoc staff engaged by Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, Anambra state for the 2023 general election, on Tuesday staged a protest against nonpayment of their allowances.

The protest took place at the INEC Headquarters in Awka, Anambra state capital. The protesters, who carried placards with various inscriptions, blocked the entry and exit at the INEC state headquarters, demanding that they be paid their allowances.

They chanted various war songs and totally crippled activities at the INEC office, as staff of the commission were prevented from entering the premises.

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Some of the protesters who spoke to our correspondent said they were only paid N3000 as feeding allowance while the remnant of N14,000 was being owed them for each of the Presidential and the State House of Assembly Elections in the state.

Some of the protesters accused the INEC of planning not to pay them, as according to them, the electoral body is about concluding the issue of payments.

“They told us that the problem was with Access Bank and Zenith Bank and we were told to submit other bank accounts which we did. However, they still refused to pay us. We understand that they are about rounding up the payment of workers during the 2023 general elections, meaning that they do not have the plans to pay us. We are over 300 that have not received our allowances while they have paid some,” they said.

They lamented that it was regrettable that more than two months after the elections, INEC is still owing them and has not deemed it proper to communicate them on what is the problems.
“We are demanding that they pay us .“All we are asking is that INEC pays us the money they agreed to pay us. It is only in Nigeria that people work and do not get paid.

“We all know the risk associated with conducting elections in this part of the country. Yet, we defied the odds and risked our lives to ensure that democracy is sustained and the only way INEC wants to pay us back is by owing us.

“This is quite unfair and we want to call on the appropriate authorities to look into this matter and ensure that we get our monies,” they stated.

When contacted on phone, Resident Electoral Commissioner in-charge of INEC in Anambra, Dr Queen Elizabeth Agwu did not pick her calls, neither did she respond to text messages.