inec nBy Festus Ahon
ASABA-AT least 12 Staff, Ad hoc workers and security personnel sent to Warri North Local Government Area of the State to conduct the Saturday Governorship and Houses of Assembly elections in the Area are reportedly missing after a boat conveying them to Koko, Sunday morning capsized.

An electoral official count ballots at a polling station in Kaduna on March 9, 2019, after Nigeria’s governorship and state assembly elections. – For the second time in a fortnight, Nigerians went to the polls to elect governors in 29 of Nigeria’s 36 states, all state assemblies and administrative councils in the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is expected to announce the results in a few days. (Photo by AFP)

The INEC Resident Electoral Commission, REC in Delta State, Dr. Cyril Omorogbe who confirmed the boat mishap, however said both staff and ad-hoc workers of the Commission were not involved in the mishap.

Omorogbe said: “I understand that my staff members are not involved, they were all safe and the ad-hoc staff were safe. The actual details have got to me right now. And I don’t think the mishap affected the materials because it happened later in the day, from what I know”.

The Vanguard gathered that the boat was also conveying election materials and about 20 persons, adding that the boat capsized around Ebrohimi community creek in Warri North Local Government Area of the state.

A security source who pleaded anonymity, said the incident happened when the victims were returning to Koko, the headquarters of Warri North at the end of the exercise on Saturday.

The source who declined comment on the number of casualty, said 12 persons were missing as at press time, adding that rescue team has been despatched to the Area with a view rescuing the victims.