RIVERS RERUN: Governor Wike Cast His Vote; Violence Forces INEC Staff To Boycott Rivers Poll; INEC Suspends Poll In 6 Rivers LGAs

Rivers Rerun: Governor Wike cast his vote at his PU In Ward 9, Unit 7 at Obio-Akpor LGA

Violence Forces INEC Staff To Boycott Rivers Poll

Media reports that some ad hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Ikwerre and Asari Toru local government areas (LGAs) of Rivers state boycotted the legislative rerun election on Saturday over fear of violence.

The election is holding in three senatorial districts, 12 house of representatives constituencies, and 22 of the 32 state assembly constituencies.

A resident of of Ikwerre, who does not want to be named, told correspondents that the officials abandoned electoral materials on the roadside, saying their safety was not guaranteed.

In Buguma, headquarters of Asari Toru, voters were still awaiting INEC officials in many polling units as of the time of filing this report.

There have also been incidents of violence in different parts of the state, including heavy shootings at Akuku Toru local government, hijacking of electoral materials in Bonny local government, and pockets of skirmishes in Eleme local government, where a vehicle was set ablaze.

The security situation also made some voters shun the poll but Ahmad Muhammad, spokesman of the Rivers state police command, said there was no cause for alarm.

“We are in touch with the various divisional police officers and they have not made any reports suggesting that there is uneasy calm,” he said.

“So far so good for now. We are monitoring the situation. The command has also done all deployments to the polling units and other areas.”

In Tai and Bonny LGAs, voters boycotted the exercise over the claim that fake result sheets were  in circulation, an allegation that INEC denied.

“The attention of INEC has been drawn to allegations that fake result sheets are being deployed for election in Akuku-Toru, Tai and Bonny local government areas,” the electoral body said in a statement.

“The allegations are untrue and they should be discountenanced. Voters are advised to come out and exercise their franchise peacefully.”

While accreditation of voters and voting commenced simultaneously in some polling units in Oyigbo local government, the exercise had yet to commence in some places in Port Harcourt, capital of the state.

According to NAN, election materials arrived ward 16, unit 17 in Obio/Akpor local government area 10:18am, while accreditation and voting started an hour later.

At ward 2, units 1, 10, 13 and 14 Rumudara, still in Obio/Akpor, INEC officials arrived at 10:30am and accreditation commenced immediately, even though there was low turnout of voters.

Nyesom Wike, governor of the state, voted at Ward 9 unit 7, around Wimpey junction in Obio/Akpor LGA, while Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation, also voted at ward 8, unit 14 in Ubima, Ikwerre LGA.

Both men voted amid tight security.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) have been trading blames over the widespread violence recorded during the election.

INEC Suspends Poll In 6 Rivers LGAs

News from sources report that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended the ongoing legislative rerun election in six of the 23 local government areas (LGAs) of Rivers state over widespread violence.

Aniedi Ikoiwak, resident electoral commissioner (REC), announced this on Saturday, listing the affected LGAs as Bonny, Gokana, Abua/Odual, Khana, Eleme and Andoni.

He said some party agents attacked INEC officials for allegedly using fake election materials in their areas, an allegation he denied.

“All INEC materials used for the election are genuine,” he said.

The heavy deployment of security men – over 6,000 policemen were posted to the state for the election, supported by soldiers and men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) – could not guarantee a hitch-free poll.

Though violence was among the reason which made the tribunal and appeal court to order a fresh election in the state, break down of law and order was recorded across most parts of  Rivers on Saturday.

An INEC official told correspondents that dynamites were used to blow up the commission’s office in Gokana, while electoral materials were hijacked by suspected thugs in Bonny.

In Abua LGA, INEC officials were stranded as there was no security provision to move across the water, and election could not hold in most parts of Khana.

Tambari Ntoti, an agent of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nonwa community, Tai LGA, was shot dead.

James Gogo, a resident of Ahoda west, alleged that most of the ad hoc staff deployed in the area were not members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) but militants.

“Some of these guys are well known in the state. I have no interest whatsoever in this election, and I am not in support of any party. Some of these INEC staff are known militants,” he said.

In different polling units in Port Harcourt, the state capital, voters were still expecting the arrival of electoral officials hours after the exercise had been concluded in other areas.

After casting his vote at ward 9, unit 7, Wimpey Junction in Obio/Akpor, Nyesom Wike, governor of the state, said while security personnel gave a good account of themselves, the same could not be said of INEC.

“I think that INEC is not prepared for the election. If they are not ready, they shouldn’t be telling people that they are ready,” he told journalists.

The election was initially scheduled to hold across 319 wards and 4,442 polling units of the state.

Ikoiwak said a new date would be announced for the rerun election in the affected areas.