“Stranded” election ad hoc officials besiege INEC office in Imo

Some trained ad hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Saturday, besieged electoral office over alleged non inclusion in the elections duties.

The ad hoc staff numbering about 300 persons, besieged the INEC office in Owerri, awaiting information from INEC officials.

One of them, Mr Mike Echetama, told NAN that they were trained staff of tertiary institutions in the state who applied to work as Collation Officers and Rreturning officers during the elections.

Echetama, a staff of the Alvan Ikoku Federal college of Education Owerri said they had been at the INEC premises since the eve of the elections.

He alleged that INEC had failed to publish any list of ad hoc staff for the elections, leaving them in the dark.

“We leant that only staff of the Federal University of Technology Owerri will be needed in the elections,” he said .

He also lamented that if they were not shortlisted for the work they would be stranded as a result of the restriction in movement.

Reacting, the INEC Public Relations Officer, Mrs Emmanuela Okpara said, collation officers would be needed after the elections, adding that selected ad hoc staffers would receive text messages to that effect.

She also denied the alleged preference for FUTO staff for the election.

Also speaking, Mr Leonard Uzoma, a staff of FUTO, who spoke with NAN said he spent the night at the INEC office in Imo.

Uzoma, who said he applied to work as a returning officer, said he received a text from INEC by 8 a.m., directing him to report at the office for his posting.