The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured that the fire that gutted its Electoral Institute in Abuja Saturday night will not have any effect on the forthcoming elections. There was palpable tension when news broke of a fire outbreak at the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Electoral Institute in Abuja Saturday night that materials for the 2015 elections may have been affected.
However, Shettima Ngiladar, INEC director of security, who conducted journalists round the affected area Sunday afternoon, maintained that materials to be used for the forthcoming general elections were not affected. He explained that the fire was caused by an electrical fault on the panel in the warehouse but was swiftly contained.
He assured that items affected by the fire were obsolete materials that were used for 2011 elections, adding that no material meant for the forthcoming elections was affected. “There was no power and when power was restored and alarm was heard, the security men and the in-house fire fighting men started going round until they discovered smoke coming out of the warehouse where we keep our non-sensitive materials.
So they battled to break through the doors to get access to the base of the fire and started attacking it. It started about 11p.m and by 2a.m they were able to put off the fire. “Not only the fire men in-house but also firemen from FCT, Garki and even the NNPC fire service came. But at the time they came, the fire was put under control. All these people rallied round to help.”
