2023 General Election faces threats as INEC offices suffer inferno
…Offices in Osun, Ogun set on fire
…Announces methodology for display of voters’ register
…Burnt Ogun INEC office, wake up call to beef up security – CP
…As Commission set to convene emergency security meeting
By Ismail Azeez, Osogbo & Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta & Joel Oladele-Abuja
Razing offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) across the Country has become a disturbing phenomenon and a threat to the 2023 General Elections, as offices of the Commission were on Thursday set on fire in Osun and Ogun State.
Some parts of the office of INEC in Ede South Local Government Area of Osun State were razed down by fire.
It was gathered that the incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday.
An eyewitness said that the early response of firemen from Osun State Fire Service to the incident was said to have restricted the fire to only the conference room of the office.
The eyewitness at the office said the room was completely razed down with furniture and some other items destroyed in the fire.
The Public Relations Officer of Osun INEC, Seun Osimosu, confirmed the incident and said the Resident Electoral Commissioner was on his way to inspect the office.
It would be recalled that INEC had declared Senator Ademola Adeleke winner of the July 16 governorship election in Osun State.
The incumbent Governor, Gboyega Oyetola is challenging the outcome of the election and has argued that there were over-voting in some local government including Ede South council.
…Burnt Ogun INEC office, wake up call to beef up security — CP, Lanre Bankole
This is just as Commissioner of Police; Lanre Bankole has reacted to the burnt Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office at Iyana Mortuary, Abeokuta, Ogun State describing the incident as a case of arson and wake up call for the police to beef up security across the state.
Bankole disclosed this while he was on inspection of the burnt INEC office.
Others who came with the CP were Mr Femi Aaron, Director State Security Service (SSS) Niyi Ajibola, Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Amotekun Commander, Dave Akinremi as well as Mr Niyi Ijalaye, the Resident Commissioner for INEC, Ogun State.
The CP who described the incident as very sad and unfortunate said, “This unfortunate incident is no doubt strange to Ogun State and it is undoubtedly a wake up call, we shall surely get to the root of the matter. We shall also ensure the security is beefed up across the state.”
Some suspected arsonists were said to have on Thursday early morning around 1.00a.m. reportedly set the INEC office ablaze.
It was gathered that the hoodlums, numbering about eight had reportedly scaled the perimeter fence, jumped into the premises and set the INEC building on fire from the rear.
They were alleged to have soaked loaves of bread with petrol and threw same into the building at different angles to light up the INEC office.
It was further learnt that the security guard at the facility, one Azeez Hamzat, had made a distress call to the police around 1:00a.m, saying the facility was on fire.
The Police from Ibara division were said to have mobilised detectives to the scene, while contacting fire fighters, who raced to the scene to put out the fire.
It was gathered that the store, the Registration Area Officer’s office and the conference room were affected by the inferno.
A source also told our correspondent that non-sensitive materials were also affected by the fire.
“No life was lost and no injury was sustained in the fire,” it was learnt.
Meanwhile, the Ogun INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Niyi Ijalaye, has described the incident as very shocking, saying that the loss suffered was quite colossal.
Ijalaye while speaking with journalists also said that he couldn’t say anything on the number of Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) that might have been likely lost to the incident as his staff were still carrying out internal investigation to know the extent of the damage.
…Commission to convene emergency security meeting, announces methodology for display of voters’ register
Following the simultaneous attacks on INEC Offices in Abeokuta South and Ede South Local Government areas of Ogun and Osun respectively, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed an emergency meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) for Friday 11th November 2023 to discuss the disturbing trend.
This was contained in a press statement signed by the National Commissioner & Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye Esq., on Thursday.
According to him, the attack is worrisome because it’s coming just 106 days to the 2023 General Election when INEC has commenced the movement of materials to offices nationwide.
The Commission also described as condemnable, 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.
The statement reads, “This morning, the Commission received two disturbing reports of attacks on our Local Government offices in Ogun and Osun States.
“The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Ogun State, Dr. Niyi Ijalaiye, reported that our office in Abeokuta South Local Government Area was attacked and set ablaze.
“The incident occurred around 1.15a.m. 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).
“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.
“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.
“Similarly, 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.
“Accordingly, the Commission has convened an emergency meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) tomorrow Friday 11th November 2023 to discuss the disturbing trend.”
Meanwhile, INEC in another press release has announced the methodology for the display of voters’ register for claims and objections by Nigerians as required by law.
As earlier announced by the Commission, the entire preliminary register containing 93,522,272 registrants will be published. The exercise will last for 2 weeks, from 12th -25th November 2022.
The physical copies of the register will be displayed in all the 8,809 Registration Areas (Wards) and 774 Local Government Areas on polling unit basis nationwide. For the first time, the softcopy of the entire register will also be published on the Commission’s website (visit www.inecnigeria.org/display_register and follow the instructions).
The register will give the name, picture, date of birth and Voter Identification Number (VIN) of each registered voter. However, for data protection and security reasons, critical information such as biometric details, residential addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses of voters will not be made public on both the physical and soft copies.
During the display, any person may make a claim that the name of a registered voter has been omitted, make corrections on his/her personal details on the register, raise an objection against the inclusion of any person not qualified to vote or the name of a dead person on the register.
“As the exercise commences on Saturday 12th November 2022, we appeal to Nigerians to seize the opportunity to scrutinize the register and draw the Commission’s attention to any corrections in their personal particulars and any malicious registrations, multiple registrants, non-Nigerians or any other person not qualified to be on the register.
“Detailed clarification on the processes and procedures for the exercise, including relevant forms, can be obtained from the Commission’s officials at the points of display at Registration Areas (Wards) and Local Government Areas. The information has also been uploaded to the Commission’s website and social media platforms.
“By the provisions of the law, cleaning up the voters’ register is a collective national responsibility. So far, the Commission has weeded out ineligible registrants using our Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS). By working together with citizens, we can clean the register further as it is the critical foundation for credible elections,” the statement read.
