EBONYI: INEC confirms no election held in 3 wards where election materials were set ablaze

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ebonyi State has confirmed that no election held in the three Registration Areas (wards) hit by violence in the governorship and state house of assembly elections in the state on Saturday.

The state Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Prof Godswill Obioma, made the confirmation while addressing newsmen in Abakaliki on Saturday in the conduct of the elections in the state.

It would be recalled that some heavily-armed suspected political thugs were reported to have invaded three registration area camps, RACs, in some parts of Ezza North local government and set ablaze the commission’s sensitive materials in the early hours of Saturday.

Read also: DELTA: One killed, several others injured as gunmen open fire on polling units

Obioma listed the affected wards and polling units to include Ekka with code number 02, having 16 voting points with 137 polling units and Oriuzor with code number 09 with 32 voting points.

According to him, 15,452 registered voters in the ward did not participate in the elections. The registration area is in Ezza North East state Constituency.

He said that Okposi Umuoghara in Ezza North West constituency was also listed as one of the RACs where sensitive election materials were set ablaze by the suspected hoodlums.

“The total voting points are 75 and the total number of registered voters affected is 36,392.

“There were no elections in the three Wards because all materials were burnt by armed thugs.

”No life was lost. All INEC ad-hoc staff in the areas were rescued to safety by security agents and have since returned to their residences.”

Obioma added that he had given the necessary details to the commission’s Headquarters in Abuja and was awaiting further instructions.

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