An early morning fire on Sunday razed an Imo State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), destroying almost all the sensitive materials to be used in the 11th April governorship and House of Assembly elections.
The INEC office is located at Nwaorubi in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of the State, but the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Gabriel Ada, has refuted claims it could be an act of sabotage.
Ada said he was sure that the fire incident was the result of a spark in some electrical fittings in the building while the building was being powered by a generator.
He however confirmed that apart from the card readers, all the sensitive and non-sensitive materials kept in the building were destroyed as a result of the incident.
Though he said the incident could affect the election next Saturday, he promised that the Commission would do its best to minimise the challenges.
