INEC inferno: Senate rules out sabotage

By JOSEPH ERUNKE

ABUJA—The Senate yesterday said it would not suspect any sabotage in last Monday’s fire at the office of director of Voter Registry, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s headquaters in Abuja, even though the development was not the first time.

The Senate equally ruled out the possibility of setting up its investigative committee to look into the inferno, saying such an attempt would amount to duplication since, according to it, INEC is already looking towards that direction.

The Senate, which spoke through its Chairman, Committee on INEC, Senator Andy Ubah, said it was convinced that there was no sabotage in the unfortunate incident.

He also said the Senate would cooperate with the commission to ensure a thorough probe on the disaster.

Ubah, who led his committee’s members to assess the situation at INEC headquarters, assured that the Upper Legislative Chamber would do anything possible to assist INEC carry out its constitutional mandate.

He regretted the  incident but expressed happiness that the fire disaster did not affect important materials at the commission’s Directorate of Voter Registry.

Responding to allegations of recruitment scandal currently going on in the commission, Senator Ubah said he was not aware of the development, saying he believed such a thing was not in existence.