Usama OLAGUNJUThere has been some minor disruption in the local government elections going on in Rivers State.
At ward 19 Elekahia, Port Harcourt City Local Government Area collation centre, voters alleged that the police came in shooting and using teargas on them.
Some ballot papers were seen littered at the entrance of the collation centre.Some of them the voters who spoke with Channels Television said the voting process was already over and counting concluded before the disruption.
No police was in the scene to give their own account of what really transpired at the time our correspondent arrived.
However, the Rivers State Police Command has promised to release an official statement on the incident.
Despite so much controversies surrounding the local government election, including court orders directing the police not to participate, the election went ahead on Saturday.
Prior to Saturday, police authorities in the state had said they will not provide security for the exercise, citing the court order barring them.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), however, was not moved by the non-participation of the police in the poll.
RSIEC late Friday said the election will go on as scheduled.“For the avoidance of doubt, we emphasize unequivocally that the 5th October 2024 Local Government Council Elections in Rivers State will hold as scheduled, and there is no going back,” RSIEC said in a statement by its Commissioner for Civil Education/Public Affairs Tobin Tamunotonye.
