Politics
Anambra NYSC, INEC Bicker Over Corps Members’ Election Duty Allowances
The National Youth Service Corps in Anambra State has directed corps members on electoral duties during the 2019 general elections who are yet to receive their allowances to forward their names to its secretariat.
Mr Kehinde Aremu, Coordinator of National Youth Service Corps in the state, gave the directive while addressing some corps members in Awka on Tuesday.
Aremu said the directive became necessary following a letter from the Independent National Electoral Commission, Anambra office, which claimed that the commission had paid all corps members who worked as ad-hoc staff during the elections.
Report recalls that the Independent National Electoral Commission engaged corps members as ad hoc staff during the February 23 and March 9 general elections.
Some of them, however, staged a protest at the INEC Headquarters in Awka last week, alleging non-payment or incomplete payment of their allowances for the election duties.
The NYSC coordinator said that the issue had resulted in a quarrel between officials of the two agencies in the state.
He said that he was determined to ensure that corps members engaged for the electoral duties were not denied their allowances.
Aremu blamed the problem on INEC’s insistence to handle the deployment of NYSC members to polling units rather than allow the scheme to manage the process.
“You were trained by them, deployed by them, but let me assure you, I will never be part of the plot to defraud you.
“I know many of you were not paid and based on that, I have written to INEC again and again but they have replied me with a stinker, saying I am blackmailing INEC.
“In their letter to me, INEC said they have paid all of you who worked as ad hoc staff during the elections,” the coordinator said.
Aremu however, said he had received list of those affected in four Local Government Areas and urged the NYSC Local Government Inspectors in the remaining ones to forward the list of those affected in their areas.
He warned corps members who were deployed but did not report to the polling units or substituted with other persons not to embarrass themselves and the NYSC by including their names.
“What I have done is to ask all local government inspectors to collate the list of everyone who was deployed and who worked during the election so that I can write them again with strong evidence.
“I already have report of those that have not been paid in four out of the 21 council areas; so, I call on the rest to come up with their reports.”
Contacted, Mr Leo Nkedife, Head, Voter Education and Publicity, INEC, Awka, said the NYSC members that protested were those whose names did not tally with the account details they forwarded to the commission.
Nkedife, however, said that the last batch of the affected corps members would be paid on Tuesday.
During a press conference held in Owerri, the coalition called the campaign a “dangerous and shameful display” designed to distract the public from the governor’s performance in office.
The CSOs directly linked the Greater Imo Initiative (GII) —the group that made the allegations on September 4, 2025—to Governor Uzodimma, describing the group as his “mouthpiece and attack dog.”
“Every word spoken against INEC was spoken on his behalf.
“By falsely alleging that Professor Yakubu has an alliance with Dr. Amadi to compromise the 2027 elections, Uzodimma has not only maligned a man of proven integrity but also assaulted the very foundation of our democracy”, said Dr Agbo Frederick, speaking for the coalition.
The coalition described Professor Yakubu as a “beacon of electoral professionalism” and called the attempt to soil his reputation “defamatory and a national security risk.”
They also defended Dr. Amadi, a “respected development scholar,” stating that the governor’s accusations were “laughable, desperate, and dangerous.”
The CSOs see the motive behind the campaign as an attempt to “silence the dissent, intimidate the opposition, and divert attention from the governor’s abysmal record in office.”
The coalition issued four key demands to Governor Uzodimma: An immediate retraction of the false and defamatory allegations against Professor Mahmood Yakubu and Dr. Chima Amadi.
- A public apology to both men within seven days, to be published in at least three national newspapers and broadcast on major television networks.
- An end to diversionary tactics and proxy propaganda.
- A renewed focus on governance, including addressing insecurity, unemployment, and poverty in Imo State.
The CSOs warned that failure to comply would force them to “review our position with a view to seeking legal redress from Governor Uzodimma for defamation, false accusation, and reckless endangerment of lives.”
“Governor Uzodimma must be reminded that he did not find himself in the seat of power to chase shadows.
“We call on all Nigerians to reject Uzodimma’s diversionary antics as they are nothing short of desperate plots by a government terrified of accountability”, the statement concluded.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC expressed concern that preventing the senator from resuming her legislative duties violates democratic principles and disenfranchises her constituents.
“The suspension, having been imposed by the Senate and not a court of law, has lapsed. Any further attempt to prevent her from resuming is therefore both illegal and morally indefensible,” Mallam Abdullahi said.
The party noted that denying Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan access to the chamber silences the voice of the people who elected her, adding that the withdrawal of her salary, aides, and office access during the suspension amounted to excessive punishment.
The ADC also criticised the Clerk of the National Assembly for declining to process her resumption on grounds that the matter was before the courts, arguing that the Clerk’s role was administrative, not judicial.
“Administrative caution must not translate into complicity. When the administrative machinery becomes hostage to political interests, the institution itself is diminished,” the party stated.
Highlighting that Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan is one of only four women in the 109-member Senate, the ADC warned that the handling of the case sends a discouraging signal about gender inclusion in Nigerian politics.
“Any action that resembles gender intimidation of the few women in the Senate would only discourage women’s participation. Nigeria cannot claim to be a democracy while excluding half of its population from key decision-making spaces,” Mallam Abdullahi added.
The ADC insisted that Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan be allowed to resume her seat immediately, stressing that the matter was about more than one individual.
“What is at stake here is not just one Senate seat, but the integrity of our democracy itself,” the party said.