Fresh protests erupt against Rivers LG poll

An INEC officer with the BVAS

Twenty-four hours after a pro-election demonstration in support of the ongoing local government elections in Rivers State, another group protested on Saturday against the electoral process overseen by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission.

Recall that a protest took place on Friday along the streets of Port Harcourt, as protesters stormed the RSIEC office to demonstrate in support of the elections.

However, the new protest, predominantly organised by youths, convened at the Polo Club area of GRA in Port Harcourt before marching towards the broader GRA vicinity.

They insisted there is no local government election in the state, stressing that they are relying on the Abuja Federal High Court judgment, which ordered the police and the Independent National Electoral Commission not to participate in the elections.

Speaking to the crowd, one of the protesters, simply identified as Bobmanuel, said, “We are law-abiding citizens; that’s why we are not participating in the elections. We gathered here to tell the world that there is no local council election in Rivers State.”

Meanwhile, the election is ongoing in all 23 local government areas of the state, as election materials have been distributed across wards and units, though there are reports of the late arrival of electoral materials in some areas.

Our correspondent, who is currently monitoring the conduct of the election, observed that in Ward 7, Unit 1 in Bagha, Khana Local Government Area, voting has started, and the process is proceeding smoothly as of the time of filing this report.

In Ward 11 in Kono, also in Khana LGA, election materials had yet to arrive.

In Rumukalabo, Units 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 in Port Harcourt City LGA, sensitive materials had yet to arrive, and voters were seen waiting.