By Ola ‘Kiya, Reporting
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says 65,699 uncollected Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) were destroyed in its two offices set ablaze in Ogun and Osun states.
Chairman, INEC Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, disclosed this on Thursday.
He said 904 ballot boxes, 29 voting cubicles, 30 megaphones, 57 election bags, and eight electric power generators were also destroyed by the attackers.
Stonix News reports that the attacks occurred separately at the commission’s offices in Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun State and Ede South Local Government Area Of Osun State.
Okoye, in a statement, said both fire incidents occurred in the early hours of Thursday.
He noted that while the entire building of its Abeokuta office was set ablaze, a portion of its Ede office was burnt.
INEC National Commissioner said security agencies have been alerted and investigation had commenced into the worrisome attacks.
“With just 106 days to the 2023 General Election when the Commission has commenced the movement of materials to our offices nationwide, these simultaneous attacks are very worrisome indeed,” he said.
Okoye also said the commission has convened an emergency meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) for Friday, November 11, 2023 to discuss the “disturbing trend” of political violence.
“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,” he lamented.
Recall that a convoy of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, was reportedly attacked by hoodlums in Borno State on Wednesday.
The PDP and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have traded blames over who was responsible.
A rally by the former Vice President in Kaduna on October 17, 2022 was also disrupted by thugs.
These worries are coming barely three months to the 2023 general elections.
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