…Corps members threaten boycott of council poll

From  Ann Bassey, Abuja

Youth Corps members serving in the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) have threatened to boycott the forth coming Abuja Municipal Area Council elections if the authorities failed to provide adequate security for them during the exercise.
Their threat was in reaction to the killing of their colleague, Mr. Samuel Okonta during the Rivers State re-run elections held last week. Most of the corps members who spoke with Daily Sun in Abuja, said they may not participate in  the election as ad-hoc staff for fear of being attacked by thugs sponsored by desperate politicians.
Miss Andu Ololade, a youth corps member in Abuja, believed  Okonta was killed due to inadequate security measures where he served as INEC ad hoc staff during the elections.
Condoling with the family of the deceased, she said it was painful that Okonta had to die because he offered to serve his country.
The corps member said she participated in the distribution of cards for Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) election but was no longer sure of further participation in the conduct of the election after the security crisis in Rivers.
Speaking in the same vein, another corps member, Miss Muinat Dauda involved in the cards distribution for the council election, said Okonta’s death has created fear in corps members that she was scared of continuing with the training programme aimed at ensuring successful conduct of the AMAC election scheduled for April 9, 2016.
Dauda hinted that she might withdraw her services if security was not improved during the FCT council poll.
She appealed to the Federal Government to tackle the security challenges in the country, stressing that corps members in the FCT were highly disappointed and scared over Okonta’s death because it could have happened to any of them.
Another corps member, Miss Aisha Abu noted that corps members in the country are together in rendering  services to the country and so, whatever affects one of them affects the whole.
She said “the carelessness on the part of top government officials caused the irreparable loss of our colleague.”
Abuß urged the Federal Government to tighten up security, especially during the Abuja Municipal Area Council election or they would not participate in the exercise.