Flood Hits INEC Office In Edo State, Four Months To Governorship Election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Benin City, Edo State, has been severely damaged by flood, just four months before the state’s governorship election.

According to Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, the flood, which occurred on Friday, damaged a section of the building, destroyed voter registration machines, and submerged movable and immovable items, including vehicles, office furniture, and equipment.

The incident has raised concerns about the preparedness of INEC for the upcoming Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which is scheduled to commence on Monday, May 27, across the 192 wards in Edo State.

However, INEC has assured that the exercise will go ahead as planned, with additional machines being deployed from neighbouring states to make up for the shortfall.

As a result of the flood, the state headquarters will not serve as a registration center as initially planned. Instead, the exercise will take place at the INEC’s Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area office, located at 16, Customs Road, off Benin/Auchi Road, Benin City.

The attention of security agencies and emergency services has been drawn to the incident, and INEC is working to ensure that the election is not compromised.

Edo State is scheduled to hold its governorship election on September 21, and this incident has raised concerns about the preparedness of INEC to conduct a free and fair election.