Barely four days to the proposed January 13 Anambra Central Senatorial Zone election, some National Youth Service (NYSC) members released in the state as ad hoc poll staff have threatened to boycott the election.
The NYSC Coordinator in the state, Mr. Ebenezer Olawale, had disclosed that 4,000 corps members out of 7,600 shortlisted and released for the election had reported for training by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
However, some of the corps members who spoke to our correspondent cited the inability of INEC to pay the allowances of corps members who participated in the November 18 governorship poll as the reason for their planned boycott of the forthcoming election.
“We are not interested in the exercise because some of our colleagues who took part in the last exercise are still coming for their money even after they had passed out and left Anambra,” one of the corps members said.
Daily Trust reports that the NYSC coordinator had maintained that the scheme would not force anyone not interested in the exercise, insisting that participation was voluntary.
He, however, confirmed that some of the corps members complained of not being paid their allowances for the last gubernatorial election.
“INEC said they needed 7,627 Corps members and we have released as much as that for them, however, it is left for the corps members to accept,” he said.
The state Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC, Dr. Nkwachkwu Orji, said they had mobilised enough manpower needed for the exercise.
“Of the 23,000 ad hoc staff engaged in the November 18 governorship election, over 20,000 had been paid and we promised to continue to address the complaints on non-payment as they come,” he said.
