Over 10,000 PVCs burn in INEC office inferno

Registered and eligible voters in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State who are yet to collect their Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) have expressed doubt over the possibility of participation in the February 16 and March 2 elections in the state after suspected thugs set thugs set ablaze the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ablaze.

Reports coming in from Isialangwa South LGA have it that thugs stormed the premises of the electoral umpire on Sunday at about 2am before executing their evil act on rooms containing unclaimed PVCs of registered voters in the local government where the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Alex Otti comes from.

It was gathered that the fire from the INEC office 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 off the fire. 

Sources in the area told our correspondent that though the fire did maximum damage to the structure and materials kept in the affected room, the quick intervention of youths and assistance of the police saved the situation from becoming hopeless. 

They feared that some of the burnt PVCs numbering about 10, 000 may not be able to be read by the INEC electronic device on Election Day due to the damage on it by the fire.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Geoffrey Ogbonna confirmed the fire incident, but said it was not the entire INEC building that was burnt.

Ogbonna said one of the rooms in the building was set ablazed through the toilet by unknown persons.

He also confirmed that the room in question was being used in storing PVC, but couldn’t state the rate of damage recorded as well.

Meanwhile, the leadership of APGA while recalling how thugs that are yet to be fished out by the police and other security agencies in the state set ablaze the INEC office in Mgboko, Obingwa LGA when their gubernatorial candidate in 2015 was contesting the validity of votes cast in Obingwa at the election tribunal, accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of being behind the Isiala Ngwa South fire incident on INEC’s office.

A statement by the media spokeman of Otti, Mr. Ferdinand Eekoma read “Just two days ago, the APGA governorship candidate, Dr.  Alex Otti OFR held his LGA campaign rally that shook the foundation of the local government and sent fears down the spines of his opponents. 

“Most PDP leaders in the area became jittery after the explosive rally, and were said to have intensified their plots through meetings on how best to ensure that peaceful election doesn’t hold in the LGA knowing very well that they do not stand any chance of winning, going by their abysmal performances both as a government and on individual basis. 

“It would be recalled that INEC office in the same LGA was burnt down during the 2015 governorship election when the APGA House of Assembly candidate Hon. Levi Atulegwu was cruising to victory and that led to the indefinite suspension of the election. 

“The same atrocity was committed in Obingwa during the governorship tribunal case when thugs suspected to be loyal to the government also burnt down the obingwa INEC office, less than twenty four hours after the Tribunal gave an order for INEC to bring the materials used in the LGA to the Tribunal for forensic examination. 

“As usual, the essence of this criminal act of brigandage targeted at INEC is to ensure that most potential voters in the area do not get their PVC, and also to ensure that the INEC office is relocated to an isolated place that would possibly serve as haven for criminal activities or to the LGA headquarters where they would have unfettered access to write fake results. Days ahead would determine what happens,” the statement read in parts.