The Certificate of Return presentation ceremony organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Enugu on Thursday, was briefly interrupted, following an emergency alarm compelling the security agents present to evacuate the hall.
The event, which took place at the Bon Platinum Hotel, Enugu was put together for the issuance of Certificate of Return to the winner of the 2023 governorship election in the State, Dr. Peter Mbah; the Deputy Governor-elect, Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai; and Members-elect of the Enugu State House of Assembly consisting of the PDP and the Labour Party.
However, more than halfway into the presentation of Certificates of Return, with a few House of Assembly Members-elect remaining, a huge sound was said to have been heard beneath the building, which was filled beyond capacity by party supporters as well as friends and well wishers of the certificates recipients.
But the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Chukwuemeka Chukwu, INEC staff, the successful candidates and their supporters were re-ushered into the venue to conclude the event after checks by security agents and engineers.
The exact cause of the alarm was not yet clear as at press time, but it was blaimed on overcrowding.
“As you can see, INEC should have chosen a bigger place or put good crowd control in place. People were just surging in; and that hall, though big, was upstairs and probably not built for this kind of crowd. It was good that the security agents later cut down on the number of people admitted into the hall.
However, while some said they heard the sound, most people interviewed said they did not hear any sound, thus confirming the feeling by many that the owners of the facility might have sensed the danger in the mammoth crowd that filled the hall and raised a false alarm to preempt a possible disaster.
Meanwhile guests were calm upon their return to the venue, with the Governor-elect, Dr. Peter Mbah, saying he was ready to hit the ground running.
He, once more, extended a hand of fellowship to his co-contestants, whom he described as brothers and partners in progress, urging them to join hands with him to build a new Enugu State.
