Ahead of the July 30 rerun election in Rivers State, the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Bori, headquarters of Khana local Government Area and the ancestral headquarters of the Ogoni people has been set ablaze by unknown persons.
The area is key to the rerun election for Rivers East senatorial district scheduled for next Saturday.Initial reports indicated that the fire started in the early hours of this morning.
An eyewitness said that “the office has been substantially damaged by the inferno and the whole building set ablaze.”
Kennedy Friday an Ogoni and a political activist also confirmed the inferno in his Facebook post.”I have just received news this morning that the INEC office in Bori is on fire. The whole building is set ablaze,” he said.
Omoni Nnamdi, the Rivers State Police command Public Relations confirmed the incident on phone.The Police spokesman said, “I have received the report but have details yet. I will provide mor details when I get to the office.”
INEC had cancelled the first rerun election in the senatorial district on March 11 due to outbreak of violence.
The leading candidates for the senatorial district are Senators Magnus Abe of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Olaka Nwogu of People Democratic Party, PDP.
INEC had insisted that it would only conduct the suspended rerun election if the leaders and supporters the political parties contesting the election were ready to eschew violence.
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