The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it lost a total of 8,966 uncollected Permanent Voters Card (PVCs) to two fire incidences in Abia and Plateaus states respectively.
The commission’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said on Sunday night in Abuja that some of the items destroyed in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government of Abia State include 2,979 PVCs and other materials.
He said last Saturday’s night fire incident at the Qua’an Pan office, the commission lost 5,987 uncollected PVCs, 380 Voting Cubicles, 755 ballot boxes, 14 generators, election forms and official stamps among others.
He however said that INEC has made temporary arrangements for the relocation of the burnt offices, while the said offices will be ready for the conduct of the February 16 and March 2, 2019 elections, and the burnt PVCs would be re-printed and ready for collection before the elections.
“The fire incident that occurred at the Qua’an Pan Local Government office of the commission in Plateau state on Saturday 9th February 2019 is the second of such incidents in less than a week. The first incident occurred in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government office of the commission in Abia state on Saturday 2nd February.
“The commission has notified the Acting Inspector General of Police of the emerging trend of the burning of the Local Government Offices of the commission close to the conduct of the elections and at a period when the commission is engaged in the massive movement of election related materials nationwide,” Okoye said.
According to him, the commission has notified the Inspector General of Police of this new trend and requested that additional security measures be provided to enhance security around INEC offices and other critical structures of the commission.
“We have directed the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Plateau state to open a register for all those in the affected Local Government Area who approach the commission to collect their PVCs within the specified period. The Commission will print the PVCs and make them available for collection in good time before the elections. We’ll also reprint and deliver the PVCs of the affected registered voters in Isiala Ngwa South in Abia state.
“The commission will proceed as planned in the affected LGAs and all the burnt materials will be replaced in good time and as such will not affect the conduct of the elections. All relevant security agencies have been requested to arrest and bring to justice, persons or groups involved in the attacks on the offices of the Commission,” he added.
While saying that the two fire incidents did not affect the Smart Card Readers (SCRs) that are presently being configured in the respective state offices of the commission, Okoye assure Nigerians that INEC will not succumb to the antics of arsonists whose motive might be to create fear in the minds of voters and sabotage the conduct of the 2019 elections.
