Gyang Bere, Jos
The office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Quan’pan Local Government Area of Plateau State was razed by fire, burning 5,987 PVCs uncollected, 297 ballot boxes, 297 voting cubicles, newly-printed manual and electronic voters’ register.
Head of Voters’ Education in the state, Mr. Osaratin Imahiyereobo, confirmed the inferno, in a statement, yesterday, and added that the fire has caused a setback to the conduct of the February 16 presidential election.
Imahiyereobo said the fire outbreak was said to have been caused by a drunken security man who set fire on some obsolete materials.
He said: “The INEC office in Qua’an Pan has been engulfed by fire causing a setback for the preparations for the general elections in the Local Government Area.The office is completely burnt with all its content that is; ballot boxes, generators serviced and filled with fuel, cubicules, newly- printed electronic and manual Voters Register, uncollected PVCs, materials for the preparations of RAC and other materials yet to be identified.
“Number of PVCs lost in the inferno was 5,987, voting cubicles, 297, ballot boxes 297, 14 generators, one 7KVA, 13, 5KVAs, 2 file cabinets, election forms, Presiding and collation officer’s stamps, election forms, 850 mats for RAC centres, office equipment, The security allegedly put fire in the obsolete materials evacuated from the store to give room for the other materials…”