The abduction of several electoral officers has led to the postponement of the governorship and state assembly elections taking place in Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State, TrackNews has been informed.
The incident which has raised serious concerns about the safety and security of election officials and the integrity of the election process, saw the abduction of 19 ad-hoc staff members of INEC on Saturday morning.
While the officials were eventually rescued by security operatives, TrackNews gathered that the attackers made away with materials meant for the election.
An official who pleaded anonymity told our reporter that the development left INEC in the state with no option but to suspend voting in the affected LGA.
According to the source, the officials were abducted from their polling stations in remote areas barely hours after voting officially commenced.
The gunmen reportedly overpowered and forced the officials into waiting vehicles before speeding off, thereby sending shockwaves across the area.
Several attempts to get the reaction of the INEC spokesperson, Festus Okoye, were unsuccessful as his phone rang out without response.
More updates to follow…
