Barely three days to the State Assembly election, the Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, has appealed to the state workforce to cast their votes for candidates of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the ruling party in the state.

He made the appeal during a parley with the state workforce in Awka, adding that voting for the opposition parties will derail his people-oriented policies, especially as it relates to salaries, gratuities and pensions.

The Governor, while canvassing for votes from the civil servants announced Friday as a work-free day for workers to enable them prepare for Saturday’s election.

He said: “I ask for total votes from you people to enable me consolidate on my previous achievements.

“Electing legislators from opposition parties will derail my welfarist policies, especially your salaries, gratuities and pensions.

“The welfare of the state workforce has been paramount to my administration. This, of course, has been possible because of the dominance of members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the House of Assembly.”

Obiano who assured the workers that the state government would be the first to pay the new national minimum wage of N30,000 noted that staff welfare would continue to be on the front burner in his government.

According to him, the state government had received report by the Labour Committee and would soon commence its implementation to address workers’ grievances and agitations.

In his speech, the Head of Service, Bar. Harry Udu, assured the Governor of the support of the workers in view of his numerous welfare packages to them.

He reeled out some of the packages to include payment of salaries, pensions, gratuities, Christmas largesse, and on-going renovation of the Secretariat, among others.

In a vote of thanks, the State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Jerry Nnubia, urged workers to cooperate with the Governor for improved quality governance.

He observed that with the Governor’s promise to be the first to pay the new National Minimum Wage, civil servants in the state should hold on to it and support APGA candidates so as to ensure the consolidation of Obiano’s good works in the state.