Fire Outbreak: INEC Should Come To Equity With Clean Hands
September 11, 2020
PRESS STATEMENT
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ondo State Chapter received the news of the fire outbreak that engulfed a container with over 5000 card reader machines at the Akure office of INEC on Thursday night with great disappointment.
The PDP is asking INEC the following questions:
Is INEC saying it does not have an internal mechanism to curtail fire outbreak in her office? Is the metal container containing the over 5000 card reader machines connected to electricity?
If so, was the electricity supply not put off after the official close of work at 05.00pm? Where were the security officers on duty at the time the fire started? Why was it that fire engulfed a container housing over 5000 card reader machine within few minutes?
All these questions are important for INEC to answer the good people of Ondo State as we cannot afford to go into an election in the next 30 days with a compromised system.
The PDP noted the comment of INEC that the October 10 election won’t be affected by this development, but this is not enough from a Commission whose existence is being funded by tax payers money.
The PDP demand in detail the full report of the causes of the inferno and when it is established those culpable must be sanctioned.
The PDP also uses this medium to remind INEC that the people of Ondo State cannot be taken for granted as no excuse would be accepted from the Commission if there is a complain of non functionality of card reader machines during the forthcoming election.
We want to believe that INEC will come to equity with clean hands and play the role of an unbiased umpire during and after the election.
Or how do we explain a scenario where fire razed over 5000 card reader machines just 30 days to the governorship election?
Kennedy Ikantu Peretei
Publicity Secretary, PDP, Ondo State.
PRESS STATEMENT
ONDO INEC FIRE: YPP IS SADDENED BY OCCURRENCE
We received with shock, the report of the fire incident at the State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
Reports have it that men of the Fire Service got to the place in record time and this advertises the competence of an average Nigerian worker – but the fact that their fire truck couldn’t start or work maximally displays the failure of the present administration at both the State and National levels in basic but sensitive and strategic areas.
As saddened as we are over this event, we want INEC to investigate the incident – because we do not want professional Politicians seeking to rule the state at all cost or the ones who simply look for ways to continue their reign in the State to destabilize the electioneering process in any way.
The Young Progressives Party and it’s Governorship Candidate in the State are of the opinion that security henceforth should be beefed up around the INEC office to forstall any form of sabotage as the State prepares for the election.
We must mention that a similar incident happened during the last supposed Local Government election in the State where some men allegedly broke into the ODIEC office in Igbekebo, Ese Odo Local Government area and carted away election materials in the dawn of the election day – preventing the people in some wards of the Local Government from exercising their voting power.
We see the fire outbreak as a similar occurence but congratulate INEC on the ground that none of its staff is affected by the ugly incident.
DOTUN OJON
YPP GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATE ONDO STATE