The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, *Omoyele Sowore*, has threatened to join staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to boycott the 2027 general elections over poor remuneration.
Sowore, who is also a human rights activist, is demanding a *minimum wage of N500,000* for INEC staff, warning that Nigeria cannot have credible elections if electoral workers remain poorly paid.
He made the demand in a post on his verified X handle on Tuesday, October 7, 2026, hours after INEC Chairman, *Professor Joash Amupitan*, lamented that commission staff were the least paid in Nigeria.
‘No Decent Wages, No Credible Elections’
Reacting to Amupitan’s revelation, Sowore said INEC workers cannot be expected to safeguard electoral integrity while being treated with contempt.
“No decent wages, no credible elections. Nigeria’s electoral workers must be well paid. INEC staff cannot be expected to safeguard the integrity of our elections while being poorly compensated,” Sowore wrote.
“INEC staff deserve a minimum wage of N500,000. Electoral integrity must begin with decent working conditions and a living wage for the people entrusted with administering our elections.”
The AAC flagbearer said if the Federal Government fails to act, he will mobilize with the workers.
“If these workers continue to be treated with contempt, I will join them in boycotting the 2027 elections. They have every right to organise and demand better conditions, including through lawful industrial action.”
INEC Chairman Admits Poor Pay
Professor Amupitan had on Tuesday during a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja to mark 100 days to the 2027 polls, disclosed that INEC staff are among the lowest-paid public servants in the country despite handling one of the most sensitive national assignments.
The admission has sparked national debate, with many linking poor pay to vulnerability to electoral malpractice, vote-buying and manipulation during elections.
Sowore’s N500,000 demand aligns with his 2027 campaign promise of a N500,000 living wage for all Nigerian workers, a policy he says will be funded by cutting government waste and blocking leakages.
