The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it was yet to uncover the cause of the fire incident that razed two containers in which 5,141 card readers were kept in its office in Akure.
It said the incident would not affect the conduct of the October 10 governorship election.
The electoral body pledged that the governorship election would not be postponed.
Ondo Resident Electoral Commissioner, Rufus Akeju, denied that the fire incident was part of a script by the commission and a political party to rig the election.
He dismissed the allegation as baseless and unfortunate.
He said the fire broke out “between 7.15 pm and 7.30 pm when most of the commission’s staff had gone home.
“The fire incident actually affected the Smart Card Readers Store. In all, 5,141 card readers that were inside the metal compartment (store) when the fire erupted were completely destroyed,” he said.
Akeju said necessary arrangements had been put in place to replace the burnt card readers.
He assured the people of the state that the fire “will not affect the conduct of the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Ondo State in any form, neither will it lead to the postponement of the election.”
He said relevant security agencies had “commenced investigation and you will be further briefed as events unfold.”
He praised fire fighters for stopping the inferno from spreading to other parts of the premises.
The Ondo REC said the commission had begun distribution of non-sensitive materials as well as commenced specialised training for security agents to enable them focus on the job on election day.
