Anambra INEC Ad-Hoc Staff Protest Non-Payment Of Allowances

Ad-hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) who worked in Anambra during the last election have protested the non-payment of their allowances.

The angry protesters thronged the INEC headquarters in Awka.

They were seen carrying placards and calling for their immediate payment.

Some of their placard reads; ‘Pay us our money’, ‘INEC you can not eat out money’, ‘labourers are worth their wages’, among several others.

Some of the protesters who spoke to journalists said: “We were only paid N3,000 as feeding allowance on the day of the election, while the remnant of N14,000 is being owed us for each of the two elections (the presidential and national assembly, and state house of assembly elections).

“They are about to conclude the issue of payment, yet we have not been paid.

"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, yet they are yet to pay us.

“We’re over 300 that have not received our allowances.

"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,” the protester pleaded.

Attempts to reach the Resident Electoral Commissioner in charge of INEC in Anambra, Queen Elizabeth Agwu, was not successful, as his phone rang out without an answer.