Breaking: INEC restricts voter registration in Imo State over killing of official

In another unfortunate attack on an official of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC in Imo State where it’s staff was killed by gunmen in Ihitte Uboma Local Government Area Thursday, 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 National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye who made this known, said the exercise will now be confined to the Commission’s State and Local Government Area offices except in Orsu, Njaba and Ihitte Uboma where it is suspended indefinitely.

This decision, he noted, “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”.

Meanwhile, he stated that the Commission has now established contact with two of its staff missing after yesterday’s attack in Ihitte Uboma, adding that they are safe and will soon be reunited with their families.

“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”, he concluded.