By Chidi Roberts
Security agents were off the streets of Port Harcourt and other towns in Rivers State on Saturday as thousands of residents turned out to vote in the council elections.
A Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Department of State Security (DSS) not to participate in the election.
But, a High Court in Port Harcourt had earlier ordered the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to proceed with the conduct of the election.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara, on Friday, urged residents to cast their votes for their candidates.
Also, the national body of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the election must be conducted, warning security agents not to truncate the process.
But, former governor of the South-South state and now FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, is leading a coalition of those opposed to the conduct of the election.
Voters were seen in several polling units of Woji Ward 6 in Obio/Okpor during the election.
Election materials got to some polling units late because the electoral officers were cautious, due to the tension in some areas.
At polling units 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 14, 15, 16, 29 and 30, some voters were seen, waiting in anticipation to cast their ballots.
Voters and party agents were also seen discussing.
Mr David Mathew, the Presiding Officer of Polling Unit 29 at Alcon Gate in Woji, said that his team arrived at 6:30 a.m. but was still waiting for the election materials.
“We are still awaiting the materials; as soon as they arrive, accreditation and voting will commence,” he said.
A voter, Mr Victor Jaja, expressed hope for a smooth and transparent process despite the delay in the arrival of election materials.
He attributed the low voter turnout to the political crisis leading up to the election.
Another voter, who identified herself as Adeki, expressed confidence in the process and hoped the election would reflect the will of the people.
“The environment has been calm since I arrived here; this gives me confidence that the process will be smooth,” she added.
