Ad-hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Anambra State who worked during the 2023 general elections have threatened to stage a peaceful protest over non-payment of their allowances.
They lamented that nobody had talked about their pending allowances after the polls and threatened to stage a peaceful protest in the state or petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) if their allowances were not paid anytime soon.
This was coming barely two months after the elections which gulped billions of naira.
One of the affected SPOs who spoke with newsmen in Awka on condition of anonymity said they never expected that INEC would owe them till that moment.
He said the allowances for the presidential/National Assembly elections were yet to be paid to the SPOs in the state, likewise the allowance for the state assembly polls and rerun elections.
Another ad-hoc staff in the state, who also pleaded anonymity, appealed to the state Governor, Prof Charles Soludo, to prevail on INEC in the state to pay them their money.
“They refused to listen to our plight. They refused to give us listening ears, let alone show concern for our plight or how to solve the problem,” she said.
When contacted, the state’s INEC spokesman, Dr Kingley Agu, demanded our reporter to visit his office, while the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr Elizabeth Agwu, didn’t answer her calls for comment on the matter.