INEC mourns as arsonists burn down Enugu office

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By Friday Olokor, Victor Ayeni and Raphael Ede

July 5, 2022

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Monday raised concerns over what it described as unprovoked attacks on its offices, with Enugu State being the latest.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of INEC, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, in an interview with The PUNCH, said it was in the collective interest of Nigerians to protect as many commission assets as possible.

He made the call just as the commission's office in Igboeze North Local Government Area, Enugu State was set on fire by suspected arsonists.

The incident, which occurred on Sunday evening, reportedly caused extensive damage to the building and stores where election material was kept.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Voter Information and Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said in a statement on Monday that the arsonists had overpowered security guards, penetrated force in the premises and set fire to the building.< /p>

Okoye said that although no casualties were reported, 748 ballot boxes, 240 voting booths, furniture and office equipment were destroyed in the fire.

"The commission is working to verify the status of the voter registration machine for the ongoing continuous voter registration exercise as well as the uncollected permanent voter cards locked away in the fireproof cabinet,” he said.

Confirming the incident in a statement on Monday, state police public relations officer Daniel Ndukwe said state police commissioner Abubakar Lawal had ordered the state criminal investigation department to investigate the cause.

However, Oyekanmi attributed the attacks on the commission's assets to those he described as enemies of democracy.

He said: "The commission is concerned about the unprovoked attacks on our offices, Enugu State being the latest. However, we have reported the matter to the police and we are confident that security agencies are capable of solving the mystery behind all those hiding under cover of darkness to launch these unprovoked attacks.

"But the commission will not be discouraged. We will continue to rigorously prepare for the 2023 general election. The destroyed assets are public assets that were purchased with huge public funds. The assets are to be electoral purposes, to be used by Nigerians who seek to elect their representatives through elections.

"Therefore, it is in our collective interest as Nigerians to protect the assets of the commission as much as possible. An attack on any of the assets of the commission in any part of the country could be described as a deliberate action by the enemies of democracy and legality, aimed at depriving eligible voters in the attacked area. The aim, clearly, is to prevent them from joining the rest of the country to vote on the day of ballot."