Seventeen months after President Muhammad Buhari was sworn in as President, staff of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council have decried being abandoned by the party and the Presidency.
Loading ...The staff, numbering over 100 yesterday stated that all the promises made to them by the Presidential Campaign Council have been jettisoned.
According to some of the staff that spoke to the media, they were posted to the PCC office from the Buhari Support Organization, BSO as volunteers, while some others stated that they were employed as Protocol staff for Campaign office.
A lady, who gave her name as Joy Ebere Umeh stated that her appointment letter was signed by the Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, now Minister of Transport, Mr. Rotimi Ameachi.
She also alleged that she served as a protocol officer for the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, CPC Presidential Campaign Office in 2011 and her appointment letter then was signed by the President, Muhammad Buhari.
Narrating her story, she stated that they were told to work for the PCC with he promise that they would follow the President to the Villa should APC win the election.
She however stated that since the party won and the President moved into Villa, they were abandoned by the PCC
Stating her ordeal, she said, “l am Joy Ebere Umeh, Protocol officer APC campaign council. We were at the PCC on appointment as we were given letters dated Feb., 2015. From the day we resumed office, there was no salary, there was no allowances.
They did not state any amount on the appointment letter, all the said verbally is that if the election was won, we will move into the Villa with the President and that is when they would place us on salary.
“So, we now worked with all our hearts without salaries or any other form of remuneration. We served the Presidential candidate and the campaign office and after winning the election and inauguration that was the end of the story. We were chased out of Lobito Crescent office and were sent to the campaign office to go and remain there since May last year”.
She also explained that they have made complaints to the National Chairman of the APC, Vhief John Odigie-Oyegun, who said his hands were tight and could not help them on the issue.
Asked if complaints have been made yo the party, she said, “Yes, we have written to the National chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun. The party did not say anything. He only said his hands were tight and we reported to the National secretary and also he said there is nothing he can do about.
“From that May till date it is almost 17 months that would have been in campaign office without any money. We have been subjected to poverty and we end up begging on the streets. Most of us cannot pay for our children school fees again.
On how they were employed and who signed their appointment letters, she said, “I did serve as a Protocol in APC PCC and l served also as Protocol in the CPC presidential campaign. The protocol staff did not come under Buhari Support Organization but under the PCC.
“We were 16 in number and our letters were signed by the Director General Campaign Council, Mr. Rotimi Ameachi. My letter for 2011 as a protocol officer was signed by Buhari. We were not volunteers, we were given appointments”.
Two other persons that spoke, Badiru Olabiyi Balogun and Comrade Usman Justice Sambo were volunteers that were deployed from the Head Office of the BSO, Lobito Crescent, Wuse 11 to the APC PCC as security men.
They also decried the ugly treatment meted out to them by the PCC and the Presidency as they were only paid N20, 000 for the months of January and February last year.
According to them, they were told that they would be given N50, 000 per month as volunteers, but when they were to give them the money they gave them N20, 000.
They also related their stories just like the protocol officers. According to them, they were promised of employment in the Paramilitary Agencies of the Federal Government should APC win the Presidential Election.
But 17 months after, they have not seen anything to show that a promise was made to them. They lamented that rather their Coordinator, Col. Hamid Ali, rtd was appointed into Nigeria Customs Service as Comptroller General and he has shut the door against them.
