Arson: Ebonyi govt to strengthen defense at INEC offices

The Ebonyi government announces it will bolster security at all Independent National  Electoral Commission (INEC) offices, among other facilities, across the state.

Chief Stanley Emegha, Security Consultant to the Government, made the disclosure on Tuesday while speaking on efforts to forestall the recent arson on the INEC office in Izzi Local Government Area.

Emegha described the incident as unfortunate and thanked God that no life was lost in the incident.

“The problem is that when we deploy the Ebubeagu security outfit to such facilities, some people would start insinuating that they want to hijack electoral materials.

“We would, however, not succumb to such cheap blackmail but ensure that such facilities are adequately protected across the state.

“We would, in collaboration with other security agencies in the state, deploy joint security outfits at all INEC offices among other public facilities across the state,” he said.

He noted that the arsonists thought that Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) and other sensitive materials were at the affected INEC office but fortunately, they were not.

“Those causing these problems do not want elections to hold in Ebonyi as in other states but their plans have failed.

“Elections would hold in Ebonyi as scheduled and the people would protect their votes.

“Anyone who destroys public facilities again in the state will meet his waterloo as the government would act decisively,” he said.

Emegha, who is also the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, said that the party is sure of winning and so would not engage in any detrimental act.

“Contrary to insinuations by some disgruntled politicians, APC is rooted in Ebonyi and sure of the electoral victory at all levels of the elections.

“We are always educating our party members and supporters across the state to be civil in their utterances and actions.

“We should not be like the opposition who cast aspersions on prominent stakeholders of the state in the name of politicking.

“They, for instance, describe major stakeholders who defected to our party as dead woods but when such persons were in the opposition, they were not dead woods,” he said.  (NAN)