Stephen Adewale
Suspected political thugs on Saturday (today) attacked Independent National Electoral Commission officials at Community Secondary School, Okposi Umuoghara (07), in Ezza North Ebonyi State Local Government Area.
KAFTANPOST gathered that the suspected thugs set the school, which served as the Registration Area Centre, ablaze at about 2am on Saturday.
When contacted, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Prof Godswill Obioma, reluctantly declined to confirm the incident.“Do your work.
Do your work”, Obioma simply told journalists on the phone.
KAFTANPOST gathered that no lives were lost in the incident.
In another development, suspected hoodlums set ablaze primary school in Benue containing electoral materials for Mbalom East Local Government Area of the state.
The hoodlums on arrival fired shots in the air before setting the RSM Primary School, Aya, that house the material on fire, according to a witness.
In a telephone conversation, Mrs Ngunan Yongo, the electoral officer for the local government, confirmed the incident to the newsmen.
The EO said that when the attack occurred, the materials had yet to be distributed to polling units in the ward.“The entire materials were burnt,” she lamented.However, no official of the commission including ad hoc staff was hurt.
She explained that a final decision would be communicated later on regarding the conduct of elections in the area.
The early morning attack was also confirmed by Mr Thaddeus Ujah, a senior staff of the commission “I can’t say anything right now, I’m overwhelmed. We didn’t expect anything like that.
I can’t find some of my people who ran into the bush.
The most important thing for now is to get my people and take them back.
Ujah said he was newly posted in the area and was unable to determine the exact number of ad hoc employees that are missing until he takes a roll call.
