It has been reported by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, that flood has caused significant damage to its office in Benin City, Edo.
Mr. Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, made this known in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja.
The flooding resulted in the destruction of a portion of the building and the loss of voter registration machines and various other items.
Dr. Anugbum Onuoha, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for Edo, confirmed that the state experienced complete flooding due to heavy rainfall on Friday.
Initial assessments indicate that the building sustained damage from the intense downpour, with both movable and fixed items being submerged.
Among the submerged items were vehicles within the premises, office furniture, and equipment.
It was further disclosed that some of the voter enrollment machines that had been set up for the upcoming Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in the state were impacted.
In response to the situation, additional machines are being brought in from neighboring states to mitigate the shortage.
Despite the challenges, the commission is committed to ensuring that the CVR exercise commences as planned on Monday, May 27, across all 192 Wards in Edo.
However, due to the emergency circumstances, the state headquarters will no longer serve as a registration center as initially intended.
Instead, the registration will occur at our Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area office situated at 16, Customs Road, off Benin/Auchi Road, Benin City,” as stated by Mr. Olumekun.