Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (right) and Mr Eyitayo Jegede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
Information reaching our newsroom has it that there has been a fire outbreak at a section of the Ondo State Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) complex in Akure, the state capital. The cause of the fire outbreak, which raged on Thursday around 8:00p.m. was not immediately known.
As the fire, which affected the ICT unit of the INEC rages, we learnt that officials of INEC were said to have contacted the fire station, which is less than 500 metres to the INEC office but with no response. INEC Commissioner in charge of information and voters Education, Festus Okoye, who spoke to reporters at the scene of the incident said the fire affected the ICT section of the commission, saying over 5100 card readers had been burnt in the inferno.
He explained that about 1000 card readers delivered to the INEC from Osun were also burnt in the fire incident while the over 4000 belonging to the INEC in the state were also burnt. Men of the fire service who arrived later at the scene of the fire after an hour were helpless as their truck refused to work while the fire servicemen from the airport arrived at exactly 9:14 p.m when the damage was done.
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu the incumbent governor of the state is seeking a second term in office under the banner of the ruling All progressive Congress (APC). His major challenger as of the time of this report is Eyitayo Jegede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
