2023: Worries over fire incidences, attacks on INEC offices

Last Monday’s gunmen attack on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Igboeze North Local Government Area office in Enugu State leading to the burning of the office has yet raised fresh fears over the smooth conduct of the 2023 General Elections.

In the latest attack, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, Festus Okoye, said that the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Enugu State, Mr. Emeka Ononamadu, informed the INEC headquarters of the attack.

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According to him, 748 ballot boxes, 240 voting cubicles, office furniture and other equipment were destroyed in spite of the best effort of the Enugu State Fire Service deployed from Nsukka.

“The commission is working to ascertain the status of voter registration machines for the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise as well as uncollected Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) locked up in the fireproof cabinet,” Okoye said.

He said the attack, coming in the middle of the voter registration and other preparations for the 2023 General Election, is worrisome.

“It will be recalled that on 23rd May 2021, our office in the neighbouring Igboeze South Local Government Area was attacked in a similar manner by unknown gunmen. This followed earlier attacks on Udenu Local Government Area office on 13th May 2021 and the State Headquarters in Enugu on 16th May 2021.

“The commission has since substantially recovered from these attacks and resumed normal activities there, including the CVR and collection of PVCs,” Okoye said.

In 2021, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said that the series of attacks on the commission’s facilities may undermine its capacity to organise elections and also negatively impact on the nation’s electoral processes.

Daily Trust reports that there have been series of accidental and coordinated attacks on INEC facilities spread across the country dating back to 2019 even before the General Election of that year.

On 28 January 2019, there was a fire incident at INEC office in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State.

However, in a statement after the incident, the HOD Voter Education and Publicity for the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Edwin Enabor, said it was a minor accident.

According to him, contrary to some reports that the incident was caused by hoodlums, it was a result of an electrical fault.

The following month on 3 February 2019, hoodlums set ablaze the INEC office in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State around 2am.

The attack was said to have woken the youths of the area from their sleep, as they quickly mobilized and also alerted the police who assisted them in putting out the fire.

Although the fire did maximum damage to the structure and materials kept there, the quick intervention of the youths and the assistance of the police saved the situation from becoming hopeless.

INEC had continued to operate from the old office until few weeks before the incident when it decided to relocate from the local government headquarters.

That was the second time that INEC office in Isiala Ngwa was being burnt down.

In 2015, in the heat of the controversy surrounding the governorship election in Abia State, thugs set the INEC office at Omopa on fire, prompting the relocation to Umu-Ikaa.

The following week, on 10 February, the Plateau State INEC office in Qua’anpan Local Government Area was on time where ballot boxes, generators filled with fuel, cubicles, newly printed electronic and manual voters register, unclaimed Permanent Voter Cards were destroyed.

Two days later, on 12 February, the Anambra State INEC office in Awka was set ablaze. Two containers containing 4,695 smart card readers were destroyed alongside other sensitive materials.

Also, on 24 February 2019, the Osun State INEC Office in Ijebu-Ijesha, Oriade Local Government Area of the state was engulfed in fire that burnt part of the office.

On 8 March 2019, the Akwa Ibom INEC office in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area was gutted by fire where 198 smart card readers (SCRs), printed voters register, 13 generator sets, voting cubicles as well as other sensitive and insensitive election materials, were burnt.

The following day, on 9 March 2019, INEC’s Registration Area Centre at Ezza North LGA in Ebonyi State was set ablaze by hoodlums.

Before that, on 3 March 2019, the Jigawa INEC office in Gumel LGA was burnt with everything destroyed, including documents, furniture, generators, electronics and computers, among other materials.

In 2020, INEC equally recorded some fire incidents including that of 2 February 2020, in Ogidi, Idemili North LGA of Anambra State, in which its office there was gutted by fire.

Confirming the incident, a Police spokesman in the state command, said “the fire allegedly emanated from bush burning.”

Few days later, on 8 February, 2020, hoodlums reportedly set ablaze INEC office in Orlu LGA of Imo State, a week after the supplementary election held in the state.

Similarly, on 10 September, 2020, just before the Ondo State governorship election, 5,141 card readers were destroyed in a fire at the state head office of the commission in Akure.

There was also a fire incident on 17 April 2020 at the INEC National Headquarters Maitama Abuja where a section close to the Media Centre of the commission and the Election Party Monitoring Office were affected.

The first reported fire incident that affected INEC in 2021 was on 20 April when an early morning fire outbreak razed the INEC Data Processing Centre in Kano State.

It was gathered that the fire incident started at about 10.15am and razed the whole building, destroyed all equipment and other valuables.

On 2 May 2021, the REC for Akwa Ibom State, Barrister Mike Igini, reported that the INEC office in Essien Udim LGA has been set ablaze.

National Commissioner and Chairman, IVEC, Festus Okoye, in a statement said the security guard on duty escaped unhurt but the destruction to the building and properties therein was extensive.

“Items destroyed include 345 ballot boxes, 135 voting cubicles, megaphones, water tanks and office furniture,” Okoye said.

He recalled that on the eve of the 2019 General Election, INEC’s newly constructed prototype LGA office in Ibesikpo Asutan was burnt down while two more offices in Mkpat Enin and Eastern Obolo LGAs were bombed.

Few days later on 9 May 2021, the REC for Abia State, Dr. Joseph Iloh, reported that the recently renovated INEC office in Ohafia LGA of the state was set ablaze.

He, however, said that there are no casualties on the part of the commission’ staff on guard duty but the building was virtually destroyed, including electoral materials and office equipment.

On 13 May 2021, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Festus Okoye, said the REC for Enugu State, Emeka Ononamadu, reported that the INEC office in Udenu Local Government Area was set ablaze by gunmen suspected to be outlawed IPOB members.

On 14 and 16 May consecutively, the Enugu State INEC office at Obollo-Offor, Udenu LGA; and Enugu State INEC office headquarters were attacked and burnt, after the security personnel on duty were overpowered.

Two days later on 18 May 2021, two INEC offices were simultaneously attacked in Ebonyi State with the Ezza North Local Government office and Ebonyi LGA office of the Commission burnt; while Izzi LGA office was vandalized with the ceiling and doors badly damaged.

CSO, expert react

Speaking on the matter, the Executive Director, Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA), Ms. Faith Nwadishi, described the development as worrisome.

She said that the rate at which INEC offices, especially in the South East were being destroyed is worrisome.

“CTA is alarmed at the rate INEC offices are attacked across the country particularly in the South East with devastating effects. This is a dangerous trend, which if not checked will impede the process of organising successful elections in 2023.

On her part, the Director of Programmes, Yiaga Africa, Cynthia Mbamalu, said the trend of attacks on INEC offices has grave impacts on INEC’s preparations for the next elections with the potential to affect the implementation of INEC’s activities towards the off-cycle governorship elections and the 2023 elections.

According to her, this also comes with huge cost implication on INEC’s budget, especially with some of the INEC offices/structures and election materials burnt/destroyed.

“In addition, these attacks are major distractions to INEC with the Commission working to expand voter access to polling units and the plan to commence the national continuous voter’s registration exercise. There is a need for better security provision for all INEC offices and structures as a matter of national emergency.

“The spate of attacks is beyond mere coincidence and requires in-depth investigation that ensures the culprits and their sponsors are apprehended and prosecuted. However, these attacks are an indication of an absence of effective security architecture in Nigeria which has created a porous and vulnerable system,” Mbamalu said.

Also, a lecturer at the Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Prof.  Ifeanyichukwu Abada, said that attacks by hoodlums on INEC offices may affect the conduct of the 2023 general elections.

“I am worried that INEC, a vital democratic institution in the country, has become a target of attacks by hoodlums. No matter the reason by anybody or group, INEC should not be a target for destruction.

“Destroying the commission’s facilities amounts to destroying Nigeria’s democratic process. Sponsors and perpetrators of this heinous act should have a rethink on their dangerous mission to kill the country’s democracy and disrupt the 2023 general elections,” he said.

While urging the Federal Government to beef up security at INEC offices nationwide, Prof. Abada urged government to ensure 24-hour security surveillance and patrol of all INEC offices in order to arrest criminals behind the attacks and also to prevent further attacks.

Also, a former chairman of INEC, Prof. Maurice Iwu, who decried the destruction of offices of the electoral body in parts of the country by gunmen, insisted that the 2023 general election would hold.

“People burning INEC offices have a political undertone and it has been made very clear and definitive. Luckily for the country, INEC is robust enough to withstand it because most of their data can be replicated in no time and even if you destroy their offices in Abuja, election would still go on because of their data dynamics.

“What does the person who burns the commission’s offices want to achieve except to destroy the democratic process? But I don’t think they would succeed in that because it is a waste of time and resources. Whoever is doing that is doing it against Nigerians because it is the resources that should have been used for other things that would be used to rebuild the structures,” Iwu said.