The National Electoral Commission INEC says it is left with no other choice but to consider relocation of its offices in areas prone to attacks of its facilities.
The Commission’s Chairman, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu made the remark on Friday, while making a submission before the House Ad-hoc committee investigating the attacks on the Commission’s facilities.
Yakubu however, cautioned that the attacks must stop for it to deliver its core mandate to the Nigerian people.
According to him, the commission had witnessed 50 incidences in 15 states since 2019,
He said there were eight attacks in 2019, 22 in 2020 and 12 in 2021while eight had been recorded in 2022..
Yakubu stated that Imo State topped the list with 11 incidences followed by Osun with seven, five cases in Enugu and Akwa Ibom, while Abia and Cross Rivers also had four incidences each. He further informed that two incidences were recorded in Anambra and Taraba states and one each in Bayelsa, Ondo, Lagos, Borno, Kaduna and Ogun states.
He told i the committee that while the commission is working to replace damaged or lost items as a result of the attacks, it cannot be doing that forever to conduct elections.
Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila represented by Leke Abejide said the investigation was precipitated by a motion brought before the House on the ‘Need To Condemn The Attacks On Offices and Facilities OF The Independent National Electoral Commission’.
“The House had noted the frequent systemic attacks on personnel, offices and facilities of INEC, which are presumably, targeted at crippling the commission and scuttling the 2023 general elections.” 2023: successes”.
