There has been some 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 the voters who spoke with Channels Television said the voting process was already over and counting concluded before the disruption.
No police was at 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.
Explosion hits APC secretariat
Earlier in the morning, the secretariat of the Rivers State All Progressives Congress led by Tony Okocha was hit by explosives.
The gate of the secretariat and the doors were shattered by the explosion which happened around 3:20am.
Speaking to Channels Television, Tony Okocha alleged that the incident was politically motivated and blamed the governor, Siminalayi Fubara, whom he said had earlier declared war over the local government election.
“Is APC secretariat here any voting unit? There is no voting unit here. So, it was deliberate to see how they can annihilate us, it is deliberate to see how they can embarrass us, it is deliberate to see how they can decimate us,” Okocha said.
