By Emeka Amaefula
HOW GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION WAS CONDUCTED IN RIVERS STATE
The Governorship and State House of Assembly elections in Rivers state actually took place on Saturday 18th of March, 2023 and the electorate were demoralized with the outcome of the Presidential and National Assembly elections which according to majority of them never reflected the true value of who they voted for on 25th of February, 2023. The Governorship and House of Assembly elections in Rivers state witnessed low voters’ turn out and this gave credence to the loss of confidence in the electoral process by the Independent National Electoral Commission-INEC. Suppression of Voters’ choice of candidates was observed in most of the polling units like in ward 17 Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. Here the famous Town Hall that has voting centres Polling Units Party Agents were seen shouting names of a particular political party that voters should vote for and that if voters who are voting for some other political party should not come near the voting center. This acrimony remained unchallenged as it increased voters’ apathy at such Polling Units.
In Unit 3 Ward 17 Obio/Akpor Local Government Area where this reporter monitored has many irregularities in the conduct of the elections. Few people that turned out to vote were asked to go to the displayed Voters Register to use their phone camera and snap their data and return to the INEC Ad hoc staff and be captured in the BVAS then issued with ballot papers. At 2:30pm thugs suspected to belong to the ruling party in the state with party Agent’s symbol hanging on their necks emerged from a rekitty bus and carted away all the electoral materials with the police officer stationed at the polling Unit and Ad hoc staff of INEC and other arrangee party Agents all went inside the bus and drove away to an unknown destination without officially counting and announcing the results. Before they disappeared with electoral material they went and removed the displayed Voters List and took them away with which they would snap the pictures of voters and upload the forged results to the electronic device for Irev .
On the issue of security of voters and political party Agents violence erupted at some of the Local government areas with Ahoada West LGA being in focus. Here the APC Governorship Campaign Director General in the LGA one Chisom Leonard was forcefully taken away from his polling unit early morning and later in the evening after voting had closed he was found dead within his community with his body shattered with bullet wounds.
