Hundreds of adhoc staff engaged for the 2023 General Elections in Anambra by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC on Tuesday thronged the INEC Headquarters in Awka in protest over non-payment of their allowances for the jobs done.
The protesters, who bore placards with various inscriptions, blocked any entrance or exit at the INEC state headquarters, demanding that they be paid their monies.
They chanted protest songs and totally crippled activities at the INEC office, as staff of the Commission were prevented from entering the premises.
According to some of the protesters who spoke to TNC correspondent, they were only paid N3000 as feeding allowance while the remnant of N14,000 is 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 refuse 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.
Some others regretted that more than two months after the elections, the INEC is still owing them and has not deemed it proper to communicate them on what the issue is, demanding that they pay them.
“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 pleaded.
TNC correspondent tried to contact the Resident Electoral Commissioner in-charge of INEC in Anambra, Dr Queen Elizabeth Agwu, but she neither responded to the messages sent to her nor did she return the calls placed to her.
