Members of staff of the Independent National Electoral Election (INEC) in Abia, on Wednesday, held a prayer session to seek an end to the incessant deaths being recorded in the commission.
The prayer was organised at the commission's headquarters in Umuahia by the INEC Staff Welfare Association (ISWA).
Highlights of the event included fasting and prayer, word of exhortation as well as the rendition of praises and worship songs, among others.
The guest preacher, Rev. Chinedu Okoroafor, admonished the workers to ensure that their conduct during elections should be such that would glorify God and bring joy to the people.
Okoroafor, who is the moderator, Umuahia Synod and Minister in-charge of Saint Peter’s Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, Umuahia Parish, further told them that their actions during elections could either make or mar Nigeria.
"You should conduct elections in the fear of God, considering that He sees, knows and will judge us according to our character," he said.
The administrative secretary of the commission, Kingsley Onyeri, underscored the importance of the programme, saying that prayer would help them to surmount all their problems and situations.
Onyeri, represented by the head of department, General Administration and Procurement, Joan Onyibo, urged his colleagues to always uphold the ethics of the commission.
"We are praying because we observed strange occurrences in INEC. Some of our young vibrant colleagues just suddenly lost their lives, while we have others in the hospital," he said.
The Chairman of ISWA, Collins Eze, described the programme as well-conceived and timely.
According to him, it met the yearnings and aspirations of the members, in the light of the current happenings in the commission.
"We gathered here to seek the face of God because before, during and after elections, we get sick and some of us die," Eze said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme had some serving and retired management staff of the commission in attendance.