LECTURERS at the University of Calabar, UNICAL, who served as returning officers in the March 28, elections, on Thursday, April 9, stormed the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, office in Calabar, to protest non-payment of their allowances. They threatened to boycott the gubernatorial and State Houses of Assembly election if their demands were not met.

One of the protesters told reporters that they embarked on the action to protest the ill-treatment meted to them by the commission. He said what they received in previous elections was higher than what the commission offered them this year, though he declined to disclose the figure. He charged: “They (INEC) slashed our honorarium without explanations and could not even pay what they claim they were going to pay us.”

But Sylvester Ezeani, resident electoral commissioner, REC, condemned the protest, describing the action as ‘unfortunate.’ He said such action was expected of students and not academic staff, adding that efforts would be made to pay them on Friday, April 10.

— Apr. 20, 2015 @ 01:00 GMT

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