By Miracle Ogunde
The ad-hoc staff who participated in the November 16 governorship election in Ondo state have lamented non-payment of their allowances by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC).
The over 17,000 staff expressed grievances at the delay in the payment of their allowances three weeks after the exercise was conducted.
They lamented the failed promise given by the commission to pay them, which they haven’t done till now, and urged the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu to interfere into the matter.
“They are yet to pay us our allowance. As I speak with you now, INEC is not speaking with us. They are not giving us listening ears at all. Many of us are affected and they are yet to pay. Sadly, INEC has yet to fulfil its promise of paying us,” one of the staff told newsmen.
“Those attending to us at the commission’s office are refusing to listen to our plight. We are demanding the payment of our allowances, or we storm the INEC office massively starting this week,” he stated.
Another ad-hoc worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, appealed to the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu to intervene in the matter and ensure the payments are made.
He said, “I believe the INEC chairman is not aware of this problem. If he knows, he should intervene because we don’t know why our money is being delayed. The INEC should do something.”
Meanwhile, INEC has reacted to the allegation, saying the commission had commenced the payment of allowances to the ad-hoc staff who took part in the governorship election.
According to the INEC spokesman in the state, Dr Temitope Akanmu, the delay in the payments of some of the ad-hoc staff was a result of the problems with their financial institutions.
Akanmu explained, “We have paid the ad-hoc staff who worked during the election. But we understand that there are some who have issues with their banks, and we are working with them to resolve whatever problems they might be experiencing.
“So, what we have is just a pocket of challenges that is common with banking errors. The few ones who are yet to receive them will get them soon, I can assure them. The REC, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, is mostly concerned about it, which has to deal with banking errors. She has instructed that it be fixed.”
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