The local government areas are Orlu, Orsu and Njaaba.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday said elections may not hold in three local government areas of Imo State in 2023.
The local government areas are Orlu, Orsu and Njaaba.
It was learnt that the three local government areas are where INEC offices were razed completely, and some of the areas were still inaccessible to the Commission’s staff.
This was revealed by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the state, Francis Ezeonu in Abuja during the Stakeholders’ Validation Meeting on the 2022 Revised Framework and Regulations for Voting by Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
He described Isu and Njaaba as the worst volatile areas in the state, The Independent reports.
“Talking about violence and the IDPs in Imo State, I can only talk about violence-prone areas because that is what is prevalent in the state.
“In Orsu, particularly, people are no longer staying there because the area is very volatile. Orsu council has a boundary with Anambra State, especially at the Izombe axis. Our office there has been completely burnt down.
“The situation is even worse in Isu Njaaba because it is a no-go area now. Our staff can no longer even go to work in that council because it is sometimes inaccessible in addition to understandable fear of the security of their lives.
“The third council is the Orlu. We are experiencing almost the same situation there. Orsu is fair compared to Isu and Njaaba that are seriously facing security challenges due to actions and inactions of gunmen.
“However, like my colleague in Zamfara said, it is not a completely bad situation because sometimes, it will improve and everywhere will look very peaceful while at other times, it will deteriorate and become very highly volatile,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the commission, Mahmood Yakubu who presided over the technical session assured people that the situation will improve before the polls.