Bayelsa’s elections 141 Polling Units to go
There was relative calm in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital and other places, where the INEC conducted the rescheduled presidential and national assembly elections in 141 polling units.
INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, had postponed elections in the 141 polling units in Yenagoa, over disruptions of the electoral process in Wards 4, 6, 8, and 14.
The electorate had protested the non-availability of electoral materials, INEC officials and incomplete ballot papers.
Voters in the polling units, however, trooped out as early as 8am to the polling units located in some part of the Yenagoa metropolis to cast their votes after assurances from the INEC headquarters that security has been remobilised.
At the Bayelsa Medical University (BMU), located at Imgbi road, Ompadec, Azikoro, Mike Okpopor and other centers, voting went on smoothly and orderly.
But there were still some people who could not find their names on the units allocated to them by INEC, while some could not be captured by the BVAS.
At Mike Okpokpo street, unit 27, a former Chief of Staff to a former Governor in the State, Dikivie Ikiogha, said the BVAS failed to accredit him and many others despite many attempts.
He said he had visited many of the polling units in search of his polling as INEC has allegedly changed many voters’ units without adequate information.
Also, Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Mr. Taribo Spiff, urged the youths to continue to be peaceful while the exercise was ongoing.
INEC to Conduct Fresh Election in Seven RAs in Rivers
The INEC has announced that it would conduct a fresh election in seven Registered Areas (RAs) in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State.
INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Rivers, Johnson Sinikiem, announced this yesterday, while briefing journalists on the proceedings in collation of the results for presidential, senatorial and House of Representative elections in the state.
Present at the briefing were the political parties agents, security agencies, international and local observers, civil society organisation and members of staff of INEC Rivers State, who were involved in the process of the election.
Sinikiem expressed satisfaction in the election across the state. He explained that out of the 17 RAs in Degema, election only held in 10 following some challenges faced by the INEC staff, who could not access the area on the election day.
He however, urged Rivers people and various stakeholders to be patience with the Commission, assuring them that every vote must be counted.
“This briefing is necessary at this time, that the electorate are very expectant of the outcome of their wishes, which is very sacrosanct and the Commission has a duty of protecting the wishes of the masses in the election of February 25, 2023, the Presidential, Senatorial and House of Representative.
“Results were collated primarily from a polling unit via Form EC8A, EC8A (1), EC8A (2) for the Presidential, Senatorial and House of Representative elections respectively.
“The election went in smoothly in all the LGAs, though the Presiding Officers had a hitch uploading results from polling units to the INEC Result Quarters (IRQ). This is as a result of poor network, which is a national problem or issues in all the places that elections did not hold yesterday due to one reason or the other, apart from violence that will not affect the outcome of the elections.
“We have a situation in Degema Local Government, about seven RAs, we could not deploy and that we are also covered by Section 24 (2) of the Electoral Act. So, we are looking at how to configure new Bi-VAS to schedule possibly tomorrow, to conclude that RAs in Degema. I have received clearance from the headquarters to go ahead and organise election there within the shortest reasonable time,” he said.
