The governorship election in Edo state has heated up with the theft of a card reader
The yet-to-be-identified thief disguised as a corp member to get access to the card reader
INEC official in charge has assured that the card has not been configured
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in Edo state, has announced the theft of its smart card reader by an unknown man in Igarra, Akoko-Edo local government area of the State.
The card reader was said to have been stolen during the training of presiding officers and assistant presiding officers in the area.
It was gathered that the man, whose identity is yet to be ascertained, disguised himself as a corps member, in order to gain access into the venue of the event on Monday.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Sam Olumekun who confirmed the incident in a statement signed by the administrative secretary, Oscar-Less Amaechi, described it as a ploy to tarnish the image of residents in the area.
He however disclosed that smart carder had not been configured for next Saturday’s governorship election.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission has observed the ploy to tarnish the good image of the good people of Akoko-Edo LGA, especially the inhabitants of Igarra.
“It is a challenge for the people of Akoko-Edo to fish out the impostor who, during the training of Presiding Officers and Assistant Presiding Officers made away with the training smart card reader, which has not been configured for election,” the statement said in part.
Olumekun, who noted that matter had been reported to relevant security agencies to apprehend the suspect and his collaborators, warned that efforts to disrupt the electoral process and credibility of the election would not be tolerated.
“The INEC is using this medium to send a warning signal to all those who may be planning to disrupt the commission’s processes on election day to have a rethink because the law enforcement agents will descend on them,” the statement added.
The state police public relations officer, Theodore Okafor, who could however not confirm the theft of the card reader, said he would get back to journalists.
Meanwhile, the Edo state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) raised alarm over an alleged plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government to use the police and the judiciary to take many of its prominent leaders out of circulation before the election and release them thereafter when the election must have been concluded.
The party, in a statement by its publicity secretary, Mr Chris Nehikhare, therefore urged the judiciary in the state, the police and the civil service not to allow APC to use them against its members in the build-up to the September 10 gubernatorial election, Tribune reports.
The PDP alleged that in the last couple of weeks, it has gotten information that the APC led administration held a meeting with all directors and permanent secretaries in the employ of the Edo state government, and intimated them that there is going to be mass arrest of PDP leaders across the 18 local government areas by the state police command.
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