The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC in Ebonyi State and the Coalition Of United Political Parties (CUPP) Ebonyi state are trading words over the attack on INEC office in the state.
The office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State was set ablaze by unknown gunmen in the early hours of Sunday.
Although no casualty was recorded, 340 ballot boxes, 130 voting cubicles, 14 electric generators and others were destroyed.
The CUPP in a statement issued by the chapter's Chairman, Engr. Chinedum Elekwachi, described the act as a hatchet job by agents of a certain Governorship Candidate in the state to instill fear on the people and discourage them from participating in the electoral process.
He revealed that the burning of the INEC headquarters in Izzi LGA is a prelude of attack to be launched on all INEC offices in state.
"This particular attack is a prelude to attacks to be launched on all INEC offices in the state. CUPP has overtime raised alarm over ploy of a certain Governorship Candidate in using this methodology to scare away voters"
"In this state, people that registered in the recent concluded INEC voters registration can't go out to collect their card because of fear of Oppression or abduction by Ebubeagu"
"The police may need to ask questions and act urgently on what is happening in the state because this anti-democractic process will only lead to anarchy"
"It is less than 90 days to the first poll and the police has not seen the need to convoke stakeholders meeting to set a pace for understanding amongst the political actors. It is indeed worrisome that the police commission in the state has failed in setting a process that will gurantee a level playing ground for all the political parties admits complains of intimidation from citizens on the dawn of everyday"
"It is the high time the police convoke a stakeholders dialogue to interrogate issues concerning the 2023 general election in the state"
"Those behind the burning of the INEC office must be arrested and brought to face the full wrath of the law and the police with other sister agencies should carryout indepedent investigations on plans to burn down other INEC offices in the state"
But the chairman of APC in the state who doubles as the security consultant to the Ebonyi State government, Mr Stanley Okoro Emegha, accused opposition parties of masterminding the setting ablaze of the INEC office in Izzi LGA of the state.
He said: “The burning of the INEC office in Izzi is unfortunate. We thank God that no life was lost. The arsonists thought that sensitive materials were there, but those materials were not there.
“It is still the opposition that is causing this problem and wrecking havoc. They have seen the handwriting on the wall, seeing that they have already failed. We would protect our votes and nothing would make elections not to hold in Ebonyi like in other states.
“They thought the PVCs were there. The problem is that when we deploy Ebubeagu there now, people would start complaining that they want the materials. The arson has occurred now and the opposition don’t want to say the truth. How can we, the APC that is already winning, destroy properties?
He however said that the state government will provide joint security operatives to man all INEC offices in the state to avert further attacks in the state
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