Some unidentified persons have lit up the Independent National Electoral Commission office in Ngor-Okpalla Local Government area in Imo State.
Reports have it that the attackers equally manhandled the security guard stationed there and robbed him of his mobile phone. Luckily, the electoral officer fled the office before they got to him.
As a result of the attack, other electoral officers in the state were directed to converge at the INEC office in Owerri so as to continue collation of the Governorship and House of Assembly results over there.
One of the electoral officers who spoke under anonymous condition explained that the attackers almost lynched them but they were able to move the election results with them eventually.
She stated, “The people beat up a security guard, tore his uniform and took away his phone. They then blocked the road with motorcycles and stones, but we managed to escape with the election results in our Hilux van before they set the building on fire.”
The spokesperson of the Police in Imo state, Orlando Ikeokwu, has since confirmed the attack but assured that officers of the police force had begun to make moves to arrest the culprits.
When contacted through a phone call, he said, “Yes, I can confirm that the INEC office in Ngor-Okpalla was set on fire by some people, but we are investigating the incident.”
INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner in Imo, Professor Francis Ezeonu, explained that he directed security officers to accompany the electoral officers to the Owerri office because some of the results would have been compromised.
Reports from Isiala Mbano local government area also indicated that a good number of electoral officers were denied entry into the collation center.
A witness stated, “Out of 12 buses filled with EOs, only those in three buses were allowed to enter the collation center. The rest were grounded in their buses by some people. We have alerted the REC to the situation and we expect him to do something about it.”
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