But for the dysfunctional equipment of the Ondo Fire Service, some of the 5,141 card readers that INEC lost to a container fire in Akure on Thursday night may have been saved.
But according to the News Agency of Nigeria, firemen of the Ondo State Fire service, who arrived the scene after the fire started, were helpless as their fire fighting truck refused to work.
As a result concerned passersby and staff used buckets to fetch and pour water into the gutted 40 feet container housing the card readers.
No life was lost in the fire incident, which destroyed 5,000 card readers meant for the Oct. 10 governorship election in Ondo State.
Prof. Festus Okoye, the INEC National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education, said that some of the damaged card readers were brought in from the neighbouring Osun State.
Okoye, described the fire incident, as a setback to the preparations for the poll.
However, he said that it would not affect the conduct of the governorship election.
He said that investigation would be carried out to ascertain the cause of the incident.
