The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office located at Ika North-East Local Government office in Delta State has been destroyed by fire, where 706 ballot boxes and other election materials were consumed.
Penpushing reports that the National Commissioner and Chairperson of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun confirmed the development on Tuesday explaining that fortunately there were no injuries or fatalities
The National Commissioner disclosed that the commission has received a preliminary report from the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the, Etekamba Umoren, on the fire incident, adding that the report indicated that the incident occurred on Monday afternoon as a result of a sudden power surge following the restoration of the public power supply.
Penpushing further reports that Olumekun stated that the store section of the office, where petrol generators and other items were kept, was completely razed and gave number of items consumed by the fire.
‘Items destroyed in the inferno include; 706 ballot boxes, 50 election bags, 322 apron vests, three electric power generators, 140 stamps, 50 ballot box seals and assorted items such as envelopes, posters, forms and booklets. Fortunately, there were no injuries or fatalities’, he said.
Penpushing also reports that he said the incident had been reported to the security agencies and emergency services for a thorough investigation, commending the cooperation of the Nigeria Police Force and the Delta State Fire Service for their response.
The National Commissioner explained that Ika North-East is one of the commission’s, 25 Local Government offices in Delta State with 14 Registration Areas (Wards), 238 Polling Units and 131,747 registered voters.
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