Administrative Staff of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Secretariat are planning to stage a “black cloth” protest at the party secretariat on Thursday, March 1, over the refusal of the party management to pay their outstanding allowances in the last four year.
The staff are also to use the protest to mourn three of their colleagues who died within the last four months as a result of paucity of funds to take care of themselves when they fell sick.
Hon. Sam Olowomeye, the Head of the Youth Department gave up the ghost on Friday after battling ill-health for some time, and allegedly not having funds to pay for his treatment at a hospital.
Mr. Okoye Ugwuaba of Finance Department and Mr. Adegoke Muyili of Security and Intelligence Unit had also died under similar circumstances, since the Supreme Court settled the leadership crisis in the party which saw to the successful hosting of the National Convention which produced the current executives led by Prince Uche Secondus as Chairman.
It will be recalled that the staff of the PDP National Secretariat defiled all pressure to join the erstwhile National Chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and stood solidly behind the legitimate Organ of the Party, the Senator Makarfi led National Caretaker Committee (NCC) during the leadership tussle last year.
A source in the National Secretariat lamented that the death of Hon. Sam would have been avoided if the outstanding four years unpaid allowances were given to him.
“In view of the above, staffers of the PDP National Secretariat of Junior, intermediate and Supervisory cadres have decided to mourn the death of their colleagues for three days and to also demand the release of the four years housing allowance owed them by the Party.”
A check at the party secretariat showed that the two previous administrations of Ahmed Adamu Muazu and the Ahmed Makarfi led NCC did not pay the Housing Allowances of staff since 2015 till date.
Most of the staffers spoken with lamented that quite a number of them were standing trial in courts over unpaid house rents with their landlord trying to get them ejected using the instrumentality of the law.
“This is ridiculous and completely unacceptable. We demand the payment of accumulated remuneration or request that the party send off the entire staff because it seems our services are no longer required by the party” one of the staff said in anger while confirming that the protest will truly hold.
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