Many youths in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, took to football on Saturday in defiance to police order on such activities due to local government polls holding same day across the state.
The youth, most of who are above 18 years, converted some major streets in the city into football pitches, and engaged in the game while the election was going on.
Some of them declared that whether they voted or not, the winners had already been selected.
One of them, who declined to identify himself, said “this election is just for formality; the only party that will win landslide is PDP, so, why bother going to vote?
“We want to use this opportunity to do our own exercise since the roads are fairly free of vehicles.”
It was observed that restriction on movement order during the period of the election was also violated by some commercial motorcyclists, who operated freely, doing brisk business.
At Oyigbo, one motorcyclist said that he took the risk of defying the order to make money for his family.
“Since there was no disturbance by the security agencies and there are passengers, I needed to make money to take care of my family.
“Since 6 a.m. to now (12.20 p.m.), I have made up to N8, 000 which I would not have made on a normal day within the same period,” he said.
Another operator, Mr David Udo, spotted in Ireibe, Obio Akpor Local Government Area, said, “I will not leave my source of daily bread because of election that does not concern me directly.”
The Police Command in the state had banned vehicular movements and activities other than the elections, between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. to ensure free, fair and credible exercise.
The command warned that it would arrest and prosecute offenders.
Contacted on the violations, Police Spokesman, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, said “the Commissioner of Police was clear on the movement restriction’’, and that anybody caught violating the order would be arrested and prosecuted.
The election was peaceful across the state although some polling units commenced polling as late as noon instead of 8 a.m.
The exercise recorded an average turnout of voters even with the absence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) which pulled out due to its suit against the election.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Leader of the APC in the state, Dr Dakuku Peterside, says the massive low turnout that characterized the controversial local government election “is a clear sign that Governor Nyesom Wike’s treachery has expired and that the people are only waiting for 2019 to boot him out of office”.
The party stalwart said that several members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) called him, accusing the governor of manipulating everything, including changing the names of some candidates at the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC).
“Nyesom Wike’s one-party “election” witnessed the lowest turn out of voters in the annals of Rivers State election, just as a heavy downpour disrupted the selection across the wide spectrum of the state,” he stressed.
He noted that despite only PDP contesting the election against some imaginary opponents, the RSIEC still connived with the ruling party to inflate figures even in the governor’s home local government where voters chose to stay at home.
“This is the first time a sitting governor has conducted local government election and his own party members are disenchanted with the process. Very many of his party members were reportedly angry at the way and manner the governor has held everybody hostage.
“The governor himself was so disappointed that he was seen driving round Obio/Akpor local government urging people to come and vote for his party just to prove he has support. Why will a governor be driving around during election day? What does the law say about that?
“Even several radio stations that ran live programmes all reported low turnouts in many local government areas, while others never saw materials before the close of time. How better can a people reject the governor? His party members did not even care much, much more other discerning Rivers people,” he quipped.
Peterside, who is also the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), commended the people for staying away from the election and proving to the governor that his time was up.
“ I thank Rivers people for shunning Wike, no one can fight a man of grace. God’s grace will disgrace such person. Amaechi’s grace is disgracing the governor,” he summed up.
