The police in Rivers have said that there has not been any adverse security report in the on-going re-run legislative elections in the state.
This is even as the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for Rivers, Mr Aneidi Ikoiwak, had said accreditation and voting would commence at the same time for the re-run election.
The Public Relations Officer of the Police Command in Rivers, DSP Ahmad Muhammad, said in Port Harcourt on Saturday that all was calm in the state.
“We are in touch with the various Divisional Police Officers and they have not made any reports suggesting that there is uneasy calm. 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,” he said.
But reports from the field show a patch record by INEC. For instance, accreditation of voters and voting had not started in some units in Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt local government
areas.
At Unit 7, Ward 9, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, voters were still waiting for election materials to arrive at 10.15 a.m.
A voter, Mr Paul Wordi, said the residents had resolved to wait for the election materials.
`We have decided to wait here until the materials arrive. We are happy with the presence of security in the unit,” he said.
At Unit 8, Ward 12, Port Harcourt, a PDP agent, Mr Ibra Onyelabuchukwu, said materials had arrived and were being sorted out by INEC staff.
An APC agent, Mr Uyo Christopher, expressed satisfaction with the situation of things at the unit.
“ So far so good. Security is tight here and everybody is waiting for voting to start,” he said.
Accreditation of voters and voting commenced simultaneously on Saturday in Unit 1 in Ward 8, Oyigbo West, Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers.
The exercises which started at 9.30 a.m. had the full presence of the security agents as well as party agents while the electorate are trickling in.
The Card Reader is being used at the unit and the exercise has so far been peaceful.
At Ward 16, Unit 17 in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, the INEC materials arrived at 10.18a.m., while accreditation and voting started at 11.20 a.m.
At Ward 2, Units 1, 10, 13 and 14 Rumudara, in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, INEC officials arrived at 10.30 a.m. and accreditation commenced immediately.
In some units, there was low turnout of voters.
One of the electorate, who introduced himself as Joseph, said that he wanted to go and vote out of his own will but would not allow himself to be subjected to raising up his hands for security check.
Many voters turned back due to their non-compliance with the security order.
Meanwhile, polling at Bonny LGA has been cancelled by INEC following irregularities. There was also evidence that the PDP was missing from several result sheets provided by INEC for the election.
The PDP is now calling for cancellation of votes in other centres.
It stated on twitter: “After @inecnigeria attempted to call us liars, they now cancel Bonny LGA. They must cancel d other 4 LGAs where they sent fake result sheets
“@inecnigeria is compromised, incompetent & a complete disgrace to the democracy we have worked so hard to preserve in the last 16yrs.”