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Ahead of today’s governorship election in Ekiti State, civil servants in the state yesterday stayed away from their duty posts , even without official pronouncement from the state government to that effect.
Most government's offices visited yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital were shut with a few workers seen loitering around without doing any specific work.
THISDAY checks revealed that the workers' action was informed by the thinking of civil servants that government would declare public holiday on the eve of the election but were shocked that it did not.
However, a civil servant who pleaded anonymity disclosed that they decided to stay away from work because not all of them were resident in Ado Ekiti, so most of them would have to travel to their various communities to vote.
Besides, he said the retinue of security agents deployed on all highways would not allow them to travel to their home towns in the evening of Friday and Saturday morning to cast their votes.
He said the fears of civil servants were hinged on pre-declaration of restriction of both vehicular and pedestrian movements, beginning from 6pm on Friday to 8pm on Saturday.
Another civil servant who was sighted briefly in his office and disappeared soon after, said most civil servants who stayed away misconstrued the earlier holiday declared for primary and secondary school pupils to be a general public holiday for all public workers.
With this situation on ground, there was the fear that this may cause voters apathy as most already have apprehension over the heavy deployment of military men and other security operatives in the state.
When contacted on the development, the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Tayo Ekundayo expressed worry over workers' attitude, insisting that government did not declare a public holiday.
According to him, "Well, to the best of my knowledge I know government never declared any holiday."
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