INEC Calls Emergency Meeting As 65,699 PVCs, 904 Ballot Boxes, Others Burnt During Attack On Offices

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called an emergency meeting after two of its offices in Ogun and Osun States were attacked by hoodlums on Thursday.

The members of its Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) will meet on Friday over the attacks.

The commission said its office in Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun was completely burnt down, resulting in the destruction of 65,699 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) and 29 voting cubicles, amongst others.

Festus Okoye, INEC’s national spokesperson, said the attack was confirmed by the commission’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Ogun, Dr. Niyi Ijalaiye.

“The incident occurred around 1.15 am when some unidentified persons overpowered the security personnel on duty and set the entire building ablaze.

“The main building and all the Commission’s movable assets in the office were destroyed. They include 904 ballot boxes, 29 voting cubicles, 30 megaphones, 57 election bags, 8 electric power generators, and 65,699 uncollected Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs),” said Okoye.

The commission is worried that with just 106 days to the 2023 general election, the attacks may hamper the distribution of election materials to its offices across the nation.

Okoye added, “Similarly, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, Dr. Mutiu Agboke, reported that our office in Ede South Local Government Area was attacked and set ablaze.

“The incident occurred in the early hours of this morning when some unidentified persons attacked the building and set a portion of it ablaze.

“Fortunately, the damage to our Ede South Local Government was limited to a section of the building and only some furniture items were destroyed.

“The attention of the Nigeria Police Force and other security and safety agencies has been drawn to the incidents and they have commenced investigation.”

The commission further expressed worry over “the rising incidents of attacks on supporters of various political parties since the commencement of campaign barely two months ago and the use of hate and incendiary language by some politicians are extremely disturbing.”

THE WHISTLER recalls that at least 748 ballot boxes were destroyed when hoodlums burnt its office in Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State in July.

In its 2023 Election Project Plan released in February 2022, INEC mentioned arson attacks on its facilities and physical attack on its personnel among the biggest threats to the forthcoming elections.