Hundreds of women who Friday protested against the conduct of today’s re-run governorship election in parts of Anambra State were stranded in Awka, as their sponsors reportedly abandoned them.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that the women were hired by All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, Dr. Chris Ngige, but abandoned most of the women shortly after the protests ended.
The placard-wielding protesters had early in the day swooped on the popular Arroma junctions, from where they chanted songs denouncing the planned election.
Some of the placards read “No to re-run election”, “Jega must go!”, ” INEC has failed”, “We want fresh election in Anambra”.
However, shortly after the protests ended, Pointblanknews.com sighted the women in groups, bemoaning their fate.
Attempts to stop some of the vocal protesters from relaying their ordeal failed.
One of them complained that some agents believed to be close to Ngige had recruited them for the exercise, with a promise of N2000 per head.
“To our surprise, when we finished our job, they began to give some of us N1000, some N1500. This isn’t our agreement,” she lamented.
Another protester who narrated her ordeal, argued that while they may never know much Ngige approved per head, it was only fair they got settled in accordance with their agreement.
Cut in another, “Isn’t it an irony that the same people complaining that INEC is shortchanging them will go ahead to do same to us?
“Why are they exploiting the economic situation in the country to exploit us this way? Most of us left our families to spend the whole day under the burning sun, yet they have no honour,” she claimed.
Attempts to get officials of the Ngige campaign organization comment on the allegations didn’t yield fruits, as they claimed they were engrossed with today’s election.