A fire has gutted the Gwadabawa Local Government Area office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Sokoto State, causing extensive damage to critical electoral materials.
The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, February 11, 2025, was reported by the Administrative Secretary of the State office, Hauwa Kangiwa.
In a statement on Friday, Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, confirmed that the fire destroyed the entire building, including important electoral items.
“The items destroyed include furniture, fixtures, and essential electoral materials, such as 558 ballot boxes, 186 voting enclosures, 186 election bags, and various Registration Area Centre materials like 12 large water tanks (1,000 liters), 400 sleeping mats, and 300 plastic buckets,” the statement read.
Preliminary investigations suggest that a sudden surge in the public power supply may have contributed to the fire, although the exact cause remains under investigation. Security and safety agencies have been deployed to determine the cause.
“No injuries or fatalities were recorded,” the statement added.
