THE Kogi state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Hale Longpet has said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office located around the Okehi local government secretariat was not affected in an attack that occurred on Monday, February 20.
The REC disclosed this at a press conference in Lokoja on Tuesday, February 21.
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“It’s not true that our office in Okehi LGA was blasted in the evening of Monday. We understood there was a blast at the council’s secretariat, where we also have our office, but the office was not affected in any way.
“We want the world to know that none of INEC facilities in Kogi is under any form of attack as we are very ready for the 2023 general elections starting on Saturday,” he said.
Speaking on the level of preparedness ahead of the general elections, Longpet said 3508 Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) machines had already been deployed for the Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state.
He also added that some machines, which malfunctioned during a mock accreditation exercise carried out in the state, had been replaced to avoid hitches during the elections.
He also stressed that safety of voters during the exercise was guaranteed.
Unidentified attackers had blown up some parts of the Okehi local government secretariat using explosive devices on Monday.
According to a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, the incident is being investigated, and steps would be taken to prevent future reoccurrence.
In December 2022, an explosion occurred in the Okene area of Kogi, shortly before President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to commission projects in the state.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via vopara@icirnigeria.org or @ije_le on Twitter.