The fire that razed the Independence National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Akure, Ondo State, destroyed thousands of card readers.
The inferno started at about 8.20 p.m. and consumed a large container.
Fire Service arrived at the scene one hour later but their equipment failed to function.
Festus Okoye, INEC Information Commissioner, assured that the occurence would not stop the poll.
NAN quoted him as saying that 5,141 card readers to be used for the Ondo governorship election were burnt.
However, INEC has deployed additional five Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) and three National Commissioners (NCs) for the Edo governorship poll.
The election will be held next Saturday.
The RECs from five geopolitical zones will work with the Edo State REC, Johnson Alalibo.
It was gathered that the deployment was not made public to avoid pressure from politicians.
A peace meeting of the Abdusalami Abubakar-led National Peace Committee is expected to hold next Tuesday in Benin.
INEC National Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, gave the hint during his last visit to Edo.
The leading candidates are Governor Godwin Obaseki (People’s Democratic Party) and Osagie Ize-Iyamu (All Progressives Congress).
“In addition to life imprisonment or 21 years’ imprisonment, anyone convicted of rape will have his organ surgically removed so that even after he finishes his term, he will not be able to rape anyone again,” the governor had said.
So long as the tool exists, there is the likelihood that he may go back to do it again. Most of the perpetrators are young people, so even after 21 years, they can come back and continue.” he said
