The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has pleaded with ad-hoc workers used for the April 9 FCT Area council elections to exercise patience over the delay in the payment of their allowances.
PREMIUM TIMES  reports that over 9,000 ad-hoc staff—mostly corps members and students — used for the elections have yet to receive their stipend. The corps members have threatened to stage a protest.
Corps members told this newspaper the difficulties they endured to perform their duties.
“We slept on the racks a night before the elections with no beds and even on the day of the election we worked under the rain to ensure that the process was concluded. Yet, two weeks after the election INEC is yet to pay us, it’s unfair,” said one corps members, Emeka Okafor.
Gloria Ekeh who worked as assistant presiding officer at one of the polling units also said, “We were told by INEC that we will receive our allowance few days after the process since they are already with our account numbers, yet its over two weeks now and we’ve not seen or at least heard any statement from them as to why there was a delay on the payment”.
Ndidi Okafor, the INEC Deputy Director of Publicity in the FCT, told PREMIUM TIMES that the commission was processing payments for ad-hoc staffs in the FCT area council elections.
Mrs. Okafor said the commission was carefully but speedily addressing the issue of wrong names, wrong account numbers of ad-hoc workers.
She pleaded with the ad-hoc staffs to desist from any form of protest as they will receive their wages soonest.