Saturday’s councils elections in Rivers was characterised by voter’s apathy, late arrival of electoral officers and materials across the state.
Although turnout of voters was unimpressive, materials and Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) officials did not get to the polling stations until about 11 a.m.
At about 11.05 a.m., the officials were seen setting up tables and arranging the materials for the exercise at Units 2, 10, 11, 13 and 14 of Ward 2 in Obio Akpor Local Government Area.
The situation was the same at Gov. Nyesom Wike’s Unit 7, Ward 9, Rumuprikon, and in Units 2, 4, 5, 19 and 26 in Ward 10, also in Obio Akpor.
At Degema, election materials was taken to PDP secretariat while voters were disenfranchised, a situation criticized by several political parties.
There was voter’s apathy at Choba as rumours that area boys were planning to disrupt the process scared people away.
At Eliozu and Rumuokoro, there were huge turnout of voters while voting process was largely peaceful.
At Elimgbu, Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA) Agent was not allowed to enter polling booth in Unit 2.
Mr. Peter Chukwuemezu, Labour Party agent for Unit 19, Ward 10 said the situation was frustrating and a sign of insincerity in the process, adding that nobody had given a reason for the delay in the arrival of electoral materials.
A voter in the unit, Mr. Udom Ekporimo, said that he and some other voters had been waiting since 8 a.m. and that only policemen deployed to the unit joined them later.
A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader in Unit 26, Mr. Lucky Nkoro, decried the late commencement of the election and attributed it delayed sorting of materials at the council’s headquarters.
Similarly, a voter, at Ward 14, Ogbunabali, Mrs. Ann Chukwu, said it had been a case of the electorate waiting for the election officials to report for duty.
She said that the delay may not be unconnected to inadequacies in the distribution of materials to the wards and units.
Earlier at Ward 10, Mile 4 area of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, some voters were seen waiting patiently for RSIEC officials and materials as at 10.50 a.m.
