The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday conducted supplementary election in four local government areas of Rivers State, with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) reportedly sweeping the four House of Assembly seats in contention.
The election took place in all the units of Abua/Odual and Gokana local government areas, but was conducted in some units in Ahoada-West and Opobo/Nkoro local government areas.
Electoral materials arrived as scheduled in most of the units that the elections took place, with some voters arriving at the polling units before 8 in the morning to cast their votes to their preferred candidates.
INEC said the exercise was peacefully unlike the March 9 governorship and House of Assembly election which witnessed violence, which was the main reason INEC canceled election in the affected council areas.
An INEC staff who spoke in Port Harcourt, Davies Iluebbey said although there was an early downpour in the state, yet materials for the polls arrived the units early enough.
“In Abua/Odual, we have enough electoral materials, and the Presiding and Assistant Presiding Officers (POs and APOs) have left with their electoral materials to the polling units” he said.
“There was heavy rain that delayed the process, but voting has started because accreditation and voting are going on simultaneously”.
According to Iluebbey, although 14 political parties are on the ballot for the Abua/Odual State Constituency Assembly election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC) are the two leading political parties in the contest.
“So far, the election is going on peacefully in all the 181 polling units of the 13 Wards in the LGA. The total number of registered voters in the LGA is 88, 561,” he said.
Another INEC staff, Mr. Samuel Udezi, who os the electoral officer in Opobo/Nkoro LGA, said that the election was going on smoothly at the time he spoke.
He said: “We have no issue for now, we have deployed all the materials to the POs and we are even going round to supervise them. I am currently in Ward 7, Unit 18 and the accreditation and voting are going on peacefully for now,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Rivers Police Command said there was calm in the four Local Government Areas of the state where Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is conducting the State Constituency Assembly supplementary election.
DSP Nnamdi Omoni, the Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), said: “There is calm in the four LGAs; there is no report of any incidence for now.
“Police personnel and officers from sister security agencies are on ground to ensure that the election is conducted in a peaceful atmosphere.”