Fire has destroyed the Gwadabawa Local Government Area office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Sokoto State.
This was contained in a statement signed by the commission’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, on Friday.
According to the statement, the fire was reported by the Administrative Secretary in charge of the State office, Hauwa Kangiwa.
The statement revealed that the “fire started in the early hours of the morning on Tuesday, February 11, 2025. The entire building was damaged.
“Items destroyed include furniture and fixtures as well as movable electoral facilities, among them 558 ballot boxes, 186 voting enclosures, 186 election bags, and various Registration Area Centre materials such as 12 large water tanks (1,000 litres), 400 sleeping mats and 300 plastic buckets.”
Preliminary investigations from the state office suggested that a sudden surge in the public power supply might have contributed to the incident.
However, “the actual cause of the fire outbreak is being investigated by the security and safety agencies which have deployed their personnel to the facility.
“No injuries or fatalities were recorded,” the statement added.
In the wake of the disaster, INEC announced plans to find an alternative temporary facility in the local government area to prevent disruption of its activities.
