About 1000 collation officers hired by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Cross River State, who are mostly academic staff of the University of Calabar, have threatened to boycott the governorship and state Assembly election slated for Saturday.
The officers stormed the INEC office in Calabar yesterday to protest non-payment of their honorarium for the presidential and National Assembly elections.
They were led by the deputy Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Zannah Akpagu.
Some of the UNICAL academic staff who spoke to journalists at INEC premises said they rejected the N35,000 which the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Sylvester Okey-Ezeani, said they were entitled to.
“We have resolved not to participate in Saturday’s governorship and state House of Assembly elections in Cross River State because INEC has not paid us our honorarium for the last presidential election. Many of us had to burn our fuel while others travelled very long distances for the exercise. The REC came and read a letter from INEC Abuja, but we cannot accept such offer. Although we did not agree on an amount, last general elections, each one of us went home with N150,000”, one of the protesters, who sought anonymity said.
But the REC said the commission has never paid such amount. He however added that whatever they received in the past was immaterial.
He maintained that the sum of N77,000 only has been approved for payment to each collation officer across the country.
He said the details of the payment to each collation officer as contained in the April 8 letter signed by Prof. Attahiru Jega were as follows: Accommodation N20,000, training N12,000, transport/feeding N10,000 and honorarium N35,000.
The REC, Dr Okey-Ezeani, said there was no need for the boycott threat, adding that something will be done about the situation.
“We have asked Prof. James Epoke, the Vice Chancellor of UNICAL to talk to his staff. We have also assured that a day before the election, the bank will send alerts of payment of the said amount. Let me assure that nobody will short change them. But in the event that they make good their threat, we will make contingency plan. Let me say that it is very unfortunate that lecturers of their calibre are the ones doing this”, he said.
