The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu on Tuesday, declared that the various attacks on the commission’s offices across the country would not stop INEC from conducting free, fair and credible elections in 2023.
Yakubu disclosed this while addressing journalists in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital when he made an on-the-spot assessment tour of the commission’s office razed by a group of arsonists in Abeokuta.
He disclosed that the commission was determined to make the 2023 elections the best ever Nigeria has ever had, describing the arsonists as “undemocratic and retrogressive elements.”
Arsonists had on November 10 razed down the commission’s office at Iyana Mortuary, Abeokuta South Local Government Area, and destroyed over 65,000 uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
Aside from Ogun State, the hoodlums had also attacked two other INEC facilities in Osun and Ebonyi States.
Addressing newsmen on Tuesday, the INEC chairman vowed that the commission would not bow to an act of arson, saying five facilities were attacked nationwide in the last four months.
He explained that efforts are in top gear towards replacing the materials lost to the inferno.
“Whatever materials we have lost, the commission is making efforts to replace the materials. We lost 65,699 PVCs, we want to assure all those that have not collected their PVCs who may have been affected that we are making plans to reprint the PVCs quickly and to bring them back to Abeokuta South for people to collect and vote.”
“We want to assure the people of Abeokuta South that this incident, terrible as it is will not deter and will not discourage us, will not discourage our staff from conducting the 2023 general elections and we want to once again assure the people of Abeokuta South, the people of Ogun State and the people of Nigeria that the commission is determined to make the 2023 elections our best ever, we will not be deterred, we cowed by act of arson by undemocratic and retrogressive elements.’’
