By Oyibo Salihu
Lokoja
The ad-hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the last governorship election in Kogi state have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on the state INEC to pay their entitlement worth N227 million.
In a protest letter signed by Yusuf Bello and John Opanachi , chairman and secretary of the ad-hoc staff respectively, they alleged that the commission in the last one months and three weeks of the governorship election, had refused to pay them their entitlement.
They added that having suffered to participate in the conduct of the election, each participant was expected to be paid the sum of N17, 000, lamenting that Kogi INEC deliberately denied them the money which they noted was N227 million as 13,000 ad-hoc staff were involved.
According to them, “we the INEC ad-hoc staff across the 21 local government areas of Kogi state that participated in the November 21, 2015 governorship election are yet to receive our payment.
” After a month and three weeks of the election , the state INEC had been foot dragging in the payment of our entitlement and whenever we complained to them they claimed that the money was hanging at the commission headquarters in Abuja.
“We are using this medium to appeal to President Buhari to use his good office to save us from this precarious situation”
Phone calls put across to the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Mallam Halilu Pai, proved abortive as he was not picking the calls.
