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BREAKING: Fire Destroys Election Materials At INEC Office In Delta

Published

14 hours ago

Dec 3, 2024.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed a fire outbreak at its office in the Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State, attributed to a sudden power surge.

In a statement released on Tuesday, December 3, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, disclosed that the incident occurred on Monday afternoon.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that he explained that the fire broke out in the stores section, where petrol generators and other materials were kept, following the restoration of the public power supply.

Among the items destroyed in the inferno were 706 ballot boxes, 50 election bags, 322 apron vests, three electric power generators, 140 stamps, 50 ballot box seals, and various forms, posters, and envelopes. Thankfully, no casualties were reported.

Olumekun added that the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Delta State, Mr. Etekamba Udo Umoren, had provided a preliminary report of the incident, which has been reported to security and emergency agencies for further investigation.

Fire INEC Office Delta

The Commission praised the swift response of the Nigeria Police Force and the Delta State Fire Service in managing the situation.

The Ika North East office is one of 25 INEC offices in Delta State, serving 14 Registration Areas (Wards) with 238 Polling Units and 131,747 registered voters.