Cross River Collation Officers Threaten to Boycott Saturday Polls

Hundreds of collation officers, hired by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Cross River State, have threatened to boycott Saturday’s governorship and House of Assembly polls in the state.

The officers, who were mostly academic staff of the University of Calabar, thronged the state INEC office in Calabar, on Thursday, to drive home their threats.

Their grouse is that, the honorarium for the March 28, 2015, presidential and National Assembly elections, have not been paid.

The UNICAL lecturers were led by the deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Zannah Akpagu.

Speaking to journalists at INEC premises, the varsity dons said they rejected the N35,000 which the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Sylvester Okey-Ezeani said that was what their entitlement for the exercise.

“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 to perform the collation exercise.

“The REC came and read a letter, saying that the directive came from INEC Abuja, but we cannot accept such offer. Although, we did not agree with what we should be paid. Last general election, each one of us went home with N150,000”, one of them who preferred anonymity said.

In an interaction with journalists, the REC disagreed that the Commission ever paid such amount, arguing that whatever they got before now was immaterial.

He maintained that the sum of N77,000 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.

Okey-Ezeani said the threat from the University lecturers to boycott Saturday’s governorship election in the state, will not be the right steps to take adding that he would make contingency plans.

“We have asked Prof James Epoke, the Vice Chancellor of UNICAL to talk to his staff.

“We have assured that by Friday, a day before the election, the bank will send the alerts for payment of the said amount. Let me assure that nobody will short change them. But. in the event that they are serious about 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”, Okey-Ezeani added.