Allies of the FCT Minister and stakeholders in the Rivers South-East Senatorial District bye-election have commended the conduct of the exercise, despite challenges posed by heavy rainfall and reported BVAS-related delays in some polling units.
Speaking after casting his vote, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Sen. Olaka Nwogu, said the election started under difficult weather conditions but noted that the situation improved as the day progressed.
“Today started with very heavy rains, and the sky was quite cloudy and dark, so I think it was a challenge in the morning. But thank God the rain has abated and we’re having clear skies now,” he said.
Nwogu stated that while voter turnout at his polling unit was impressive, there were reports of challenges in some locations.
“I’ve received a few scattered reports of people’s challenges, but overall I believe that the turnout in this particular unit is massive. If everybody has the opportunity to vote, I’ll be very happy,” he said.
The PDP candidate also cited possible BVAS and network-related issues as factors affecting the process in some areas.
“The process is going on, but whether it’s a network issue or the BVAS issue, I do not really know. But I think as time progresses, there is a good chance that we’ll get a better outcome,” he added.
On security, Nwogu said he had not received reports of violence or attacks from across the seven local government areas in the senatorial district.
Similarly, APC Collation Officer and member representing Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency, Dum Deekor, said voter turnout was affected by both rainfall and the general voter apathy often associated with elections.
“If you look at the trajectory for elections in Nigeria today, you will agree with me that there is some level of apathy. But even at that, with the kind of mobilisation that we have made, we hope that it will improve,” he said.
“You can see the rains are still here, and people are coming out to vote. Some are prepared to stay under the rain, others are not. So it will be affected by the rains.”
Deekor also reported a peaceful atmosphere throughout the exercise.
“None, to my knowledge,” he said when asked about security breaches. “Most of the political parties are working together, and that has reduced the issues of conflict. Everybody is going about their businesses without hindrance. Voting is going on well.”
Earlier, former Senator, Magnus Abe also praised the conduct of the election and urged residents to participate in the process.
“I call on all men and women of the Rivers South-East Senatorial District to come out en masse and participate in this exercise. It is peaceful, it is free, it is fair, and it is clearly transparent,” Abe said.
He commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for improvements in the electoral process, particularly the performance of BVAS technology.
“At the time you were here in 2023, a lot of the machines didn’t work that day. But now everything is working. So the complaints we had last time, we cannot have them today because the process has improved and the things are working better,” he stated.
Abe added that electoral reforms should continue to strengthen the credibility of future polls.
“My belief is that every exercise, every election cycle, should be better than the last one, not worse,” he said.
The Rivers South-East Senatorial District bye-election is being conducted across seven local government areas, with security agencies and election officials monitoring the process to ensure a smooth and credible outcome.
