TheCable

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended the ongoing continuous voter registration in centres outside state and LGA offices in Imo.

In a statement on Friday, Festus Okoye, INEC national commissioner and chairman, information and voter education committee, said the commission made the decision owing to the recent attack on its officials in Imo.

On Thursday, an INEC official was shot dead in Ihitte Uboma LGA of the state, while two other officials were declared missing.

“Further to the unfortunate incident in Imo State in which our staff was killed by gunmen in Ihitte Uboma Local Government Area yesterday, the Commission has decided to suspend the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in all the 54 additional centres created to facilitate the registration of voters across the State. The exercise will now be confined to our State and Local Government Area offices except in Orsu, Njaba and Ihitte Uboma where it is suspended indefinitely,” the statement reads.

“This decision follows a further report from the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Francis C. Ezeonu, of threats to our staff involved in the exercise in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area. Earlier, the Commission had restricted the exercise to our offices in Oru East, Oru West, Orlu and Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Areas.”

The commission also noted that it has now established contact with the two staff that were declared missing after Thursday’s attack.

“They are safe and will soon be reunited with their families,” the statement reads.

“The safety of staff remains a primary concern to the Commission. We will continue to ensure that no staff is put in harm’s way while working with the security agencies and community leaders to protect them and facilitate their work.”