Nasarawa: 24 LG workers’ denied salaries for voting against APC

TWENTY-FOUR staffers of Keana local government council in Nasarawa state have been denied their monthly salary for allegedly voting against the re-election of the state Governor, Umaru Umaru Tanko Al-Makura and other candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC, during the recently concluded general elections.
Executive Chairman of the local government, Mustapha Eladoga had allegedly directed the Director of Finance and Supply, DFS of the council to withhold the March 2015 salaries of the affected workers for voting against the re-election of the state governor while others whose loyalty to the APC government was not in doubt were all paid their salaries for the said month.
One of the affected staff who spoke to our Correspondent on condition of anonymity said that he was shocked to hear that his March salary would not be paid to him just because he voted for candidates of his choice during the last general elections, describing the action as an act of impunity against humanity.
Sources alleged that the Council boss had, on noticing that the opposition parties were winning in most of the polling units he visited during the voting exercise, ordered some staffers of the council who were residents of the affected polling units to ensure the reversal of the development in favour of his party, the APC but was disappointed that his directive could not be honoured as one of the opposition parties that took part in the governorship election was declared winner in the affected polling units.
Investigation by Nigerian Pilot revealed that out of the 24 staffers that have allegedly been denied salary for the month of March 2015, twelve are from Health department, eight from the Agriculture and three from Social Services departments of the local government while one is affected from the Personnel department.
Chairman of the Keana Local Government Traditional Council and paramount ruler of Keana Chiefdom His Royal Majesty, Emmanuel Elayo was said to have waged into the matter with a view to resolving the impasse as sources also revealed that the Council Chairman had been invited by the monarch over the matter.
When contacted Executive Chairman of the Council, Honourable Mustapha Eladoga denied ordering for the withholding of the salaries, attributing the delay in payment of the affected staffers to what he simply termed “administrative issues.