According to reports from The Nation, Governor Seriake Dickson has allegedly compiled the names of 500 workers for punishment for “supporting” the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last December 5 and January 9 governorship polls in the state.

Besides the punishment, the affected civil servants had not been paid since last October, reports say.

It's believed that the government unhappy that the civil servants worked against Dickson’s re-election and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the polls that were marred by widespread violence.

Someone familiar with the matter noted that there was a deliberate effort by the government to flush out those considered APC members in the civil service.

“Right now, a fresh verification of workers is ongoing for this singular purpose. Most of these workers have not received their salaries since October, last year. While pro-PDP workers are receiving their salaries, those perceived to be APC members are not,” the person said.

One of the affected workers, who did not want to be named for security reasons, said the accountant in his establishment told them their names were missing from the payroll.

The development is said to be generating tension with the affected civil servants planning to seek redress in court.