Ondo: Police Blame INEC Fire On Electrical Fault |The Source

By Ayodele Oni, Akure

Ondo State Police Command has released findings on last week’s fire incident which gutted a store within the premises of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) in Akure, consuming thousands of Card Readers meant for the October 10 Governorship Election.

In the report, the State Commissioner of Police, Bolaji Salami,  said the fire was triggered by an electrical fault.

According to him, the fire incident at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Ondo state was caused by faulty electrical connection to where smart card readers were stored.

The Police findings, however, run contrary to the position of the opposition PDP. The party blamed it on the ruling APC, insisting it was a deliberate action to rig the election.

But the the CP, while dousing the insinuation of sabotage by opposition  parties  said there was nothing like that.

He pointed out that the Police and the state Fire Service worked together to arrive at the conclusion.

The fire incident, which happened last week, gutted  a container within the premises of Akure office of INEC destroying over 5,000 card readers.

The card readers were among materials needed for the conduct of October 10 Governorship election in the state.

The Commission has however assured that the election will still hold as scheduled.

Ondo State Governor, and candidate of the APC, Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, on a visit to scene of the incident, promised to help INEC ameliorate its loss.  But oppsition Parties have decried the gesture, telling him he had no business helping INEC since he is a candidate in the October 10 election.