In a distressing turn of events in Bayelsa state, an official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was abducted by unidentified gunmen.
The State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Obo Effanga, confirmed the incident in a statement released by Wilfred Ifogah, Head of Voter Education and Publicity.
The victim, a Supervisory Presiding Officer (SPO) assigned to Registration Area-06 (Ossioma) in Sagbama LGA, was reportedly abducted while awaiting transportation at the Amassoma Jetty. Simultaneously, a separate incident occurred as a boat carrying election personnel to Registration Area-17 (Koluama) in Southern Ijaw LGA capsized.
Effanga reassured that there were no casualties in the boat mishap, with all 12 election personnel and the boat operator successfully rescued. However, he disclosed that crucial election materials, including result sheets, power banks, and personal belongings of the staff, were lost in the incident.
“The total number of registered voters in the affected Registration Areas is 5368, with 5311 PVCs collected. INEC is actively engaged in efforts to ensure the smooth conduct of the election in the affected area,” Effanga added, emphasizing the commission’s commitment to overcoming the challenges posed by these unfortunate incidents.
