Favour The Independent National Electoral Commission, on Friday, announced the suspension of voter registration outside the state and local government offices in Imo State.
The decision came barely about 15 hours after a similar action in the Ihitte Uboma Local Government Area of the state following a report by its Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof Emeka Ezeonu, on the killing of an INEC staff member involved in the continuous voter registration, Anthony Nwokorie, by gunmen.
The INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, made the announcement in a statement issued in Abuja.
He said, “Further to the unfortunate incident in Imo State in which our staff member was killed by gunmen in the Ihitte Uboma Local Government Area yesterday (Thursday), the commission has decided to suspend the ongoing continuous voter registration 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.
“This decision follows a further report from the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof Francis Ezeonu, of threats to our staff members involved in the exercise in the Ehime Mbano Local Government Area.
“Earlier, the commission had restricted the exercise to our offices in the Oru East, Oru West, Orlu and Ohaji-Egbema local government areas.
You must log in to post a comment.