The South-East Senatorial District bye-election in Rivers State was largely peaceful, with voters in Gokana and Khana Local Government Areas defying heavy rainfall to exercise their civic rights.
Electorates who spoke to our correspondent, who monitored the exercise, described the process as calm and orderly, noting that many voters patiently waited under the rain to cast their ballots.
In Gokana, wards 12, 17, 11, and 16 recorded significant voter turnout, a trend also observed in several wards across Khana Local Government Area.
Speaking shortly after casting his vote at Ward 16, Unit 10, the Chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Senator Magnus Abe, commended the peaceful conduct of voters and expressed confidence in the electoral process.
Abe noted that despite the weather slowing early activities, turnout improved as the rain subsided. He described the election as peaceful, transparent, and credible, urging citizens to continue participating actively in democratic processes.
He also emphasized that true political engagement goes beyond social media, encouraging voters to demonstrate their commitment by turning out on election day.
On his part, the lawmaker representing Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency, Dumnamene Dekor, acknowledged the peaceful atmosphere but raised concerns over technical challenges with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
Dekor revealed that complaints were received from multiple polling units regarding malfunctioning BVAS machines, which delayed the accreditation process for some voters. He, however, noted that election officials were making efforts to address the issues as they arose.
Despite these challenges, he confirmed that voting proceeded without incidents of violence or disruption. Dekor urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to improve the reliability of electronic voting systems ahead of future elections.
