The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday, said it has replaced the 4,695 smart card readers gutted by fire at the Anambra State headquarters of the Commission ahead of today’s Presidential and National Assembly elections.
The head of Voter Education and Publicity of the INEC in the state, Mr Leo Nkedife, who disclosed this to newsmen, yesterday, at the state headquarters of the Commission, Awka, also stated that all materials and personnel involved in the conduct of today’s elections have been deployed to their respective local governments.
Fire had, on Wednesday, gutted two steel containers housing smart card readers at the Commission’s state headquarters, and, at the end, burnt all the already configured smart card readers for the conduct of today’s elections in 18 out of the 21 local government areas of the state.
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Mr Nkedife stated that the Commission, after the incident, immediately mobilised some smart card readers from some states of the federation earlier kept as reserves, adding that as at yesterday, all the burnt smart card readers were replaced.
He assured that the commission was ready to conduct free, transparent and credible elections today.
“We have deployed our materials to places where they should be by now and personnel are also on ground for the election,” he said.
By the time our correspondent visited INEC office Awka, activities relating to today’s voting were on top gear, all the Commission’s staff members were busy doing one thing or the other in perfecting arrangements for the conduct of today’s elections.
The top police authorities, including the state commissioner of police, Mr Mustapha Dandaura, and the deputy inspector-general of police in charge of South-East zone, Mr Anthony Ogbizi, who later visited the scene of fire incident at the commission’s office, had assured that adequate security would be provided during and after the elections to guarantee proper protection of human and electoral materials.
