Gunmen on Tuesday set fire to the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ogidi, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, destroying insensitive material for the 2023 general election.
The commission disclosed this in a statement by the Commissioner and Chairman, Committee on Information and Electoral Education, Festus Okoye, in Abuja on Wednesday.
Okoye said the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Anambra State, Dr Ratu Agwu, reported that the incident happened in the early hours of Tuesday.
He said the building was badly damaged, as all furniture and other items, including insensitive materials that were recently sent in preparation for the 2023 general elections, were destroyed.
“Among the items lost due to the inferno were 729 ballot boxes, 243 voting booths, 256 election bags, 11 megaphones, one electric generator and a large amount of indelible ink and liquid chewing gum.
“However, Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) that have not been collected are kept in fireproof cabinets that are not exposed to fire.
“Similarly, no sensitive material was sent to the LGA office,” he said.
Okoye said the destruction had been coordinated as the Nnobi Police Station in the LGA was also attacked.
He said that despite the untoward incident, INEC wanted to assure the residents of the LGA that contingency would be taken to replace the materials.
Okoye assured the people that the Presidential and National Assembly elections will go ahead on February 25 as scheduled, which will be followed two weeks later by the House of State elections.