INEC laments as arsonists burn Enugu office

Confirming the incident in statement on Monday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, said the state Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Lawal, had ordered the State Criminal Investigation Department to investigate the cause.

However, Oyekanmi attributed the attacks on the commission’s assets to those he described as enemies of democracy.

He said, “The commission is concerned about unprovoked attacks on our offices, with Enugu State being the latest. However, we have reported the matter to the Police and we are confident that the security agencies are capable of solving the mystery behind all those hiding under the cover of darkness to launch these unprovoked attacks.

“But the commission will not be deterred. We will continue to prepare rigorously for the 2023 general election. The assets being destroyed are public assets that were procured with enormous public funds. The assets are for election purposes, to be utilised by Nigerians who seek to elect their representatives through elections.

“Therefore, it is in our collective interest as Nigerians to protect the commission’s assets as much as we can. An attack on any of the commission’s assets in any part of the country could be described as a deliberate action by the enemies of democracy and due process, aimed at disenfranchising eligible voters in the area attacked. The purpose, clearly, is to prevent them from joining the rest of the country to cast their ballots on Election Day.”