THE Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said yesterday that hundreds of its ad hoc staff that worked during the November 6, 2021 governorship election in Anambra State have absconded with the sensitive materials assigned to them for the election, IgbereTV reports.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in the state, Dr. Nwachukwu Orji told reporters in Awka that for refusal to turn the materials, the allowances of the affected ad hoc staff have been withheld.
He observed that efforts to recover the materials had fallen on deaf ears, adding that the commission had given the affected persons ample time to turn in the materials, otherwise they would face the law.
He said that the Commission had identified those involved, stating that they run into hundreds. Vanguard recalls that INEC engaged over 6000 ad hoc staff for the governorship poll.
He said: “We have made substantial progress with payment of allowances to the ad hoc staff that participated in the election. The Commission is, however, displeased that some ad hoc staff have failed to return some of the devices and other materials issued to them during the election. These materials include BVAS and other sensitive materials.
“The Commission has, therefore, taken the unfortunate decision to withhold the allowances of the staff involved in the act, pending the return of the materials to the Commission.
“The Commission urges the general public and particularly, those that serve as ad hoc staff, to see the Commission’s property as national asset, and therefore, treat them with utmost care and a sense of responsibility”.
Orji also said that INEC has resumed the Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, in the state on 15 September 2021 because of the November 2021 governorship election in the state.
