Soldier, 3 Others Feared Dead In Rivers

At least one soldier, and three other are feared killed in various parts of Rivers State during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

The Brigade Commander, 2 Brigade, Port Harcourt, Brigadier General Koko Essien, said the soldier was killed when hoodlums opened fire on security agents on election duty in Obio/Akpor local government area of the state.

Apart from the soldier, three other person were killed in Tai, Eleme and Obio/Akpor local government areas of the state.

This is as members and supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in three local government areas of the state boycotted the elections due to the refusal of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to provide the result sheets for the elections.

The affected local government areas include; Gokana, Eleme and Ikwerre, the home-LGA of Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

Meanwhile, actual voting started at about 1:40pm in most polling centres in Port Harcourt City, Obio/Akpor, Emohua and Khana local government area of Rivers State.

This is the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Rivers State, Dame Gesila Khan, has approved the use of manual register in the accreditation of eligible voters, where the Card Reader failed.

Khan therefore advised eligible voters who have not been accredited to go back to their respective polling units to get accredited manually.

LEADERSHIP observed that in most polling units visited in Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor, Abua/Odual, and Khana local government areas, the Presiding Officers adopted manual accreditation to enable then meet up the period provided for accreditation.

However, accreditation and voting on simultaneously in most of the polling unit in Abua/Odual locl government area of the state.

There were also reports of snatching of election materials in Abua/Odual, Akuku-Toru, and other local government areas of the state.

When contacted on the boycott of voting by voters in the three local government area of the state, INEC image-maker in the statw, Tonia Nwobu, said the Commission’s headquarters would decide on the next line of action.