I'll rebuild burnt INEC office, says Wike

The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has ordered the rebuilding of the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Bori, Khana Local Government Area that was burnt on Friday.

Wike, who gave this directive on Saturday while inspecting the burnt office of INEC, also charged security agencies to fish out the perpetrators of the crime.

He advised politicians not to see elections as a do-or-die affair, urging them to submit themselves to the will of the people.

Wike said, "We will make sure that this does not dampen the spirit of INEC. I have directed the caretaker committee chairman of the local government area to immediately rebuild the burnt office."

He promised that the state government would provide an alternative office for the electoral body to conduct the July 30 rerun poll in the area, saying that the people have been mobilised and ready to cast their votes.

He said the fire that gutted INEC's office in Khana should not be an excuse for the commission to postpone the July 30 election and advised INEC not to be deterred by the incident.

He noted that the commission should go ahead with the elections as scheduled, explaining that some politicians seeking the postponement of the legislative rerun election were responsible for the fire outbreak that razed the commission's office.

The governor expressed regret that some politicians were afraid of the rerun poll.

Earlier, the All Progressives Congress had stated that Wike should be held responsible for the incident.

State Chairman of the APC, Dr. Davies Ikanya, in a statement had said, "Nyesom Wike was publicly threatening INEC, its chairman, me and Senator Magnus Abe and in less than 24 hours, the INEC office in Senator Abe's South-East Senatorial Headquarters (Bori) was burnt down. There's no need looking elsewhere, Nyesom Wike has, as usual, carried out his earlier threat to visit us with fire; we now know better what he meant."