Rivers South-East by-election begins across seven LGAs as voters turn out despite rain, delayed materials and BVAS challenges

Voting commenced on Saturday across the seven local government areas of Rivers South-East Senatorial District as residents headed to the polls to elect a new representative following the death of Senator Barry Mpigi earlier this year.

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The by-election is being conducted in Khana, Gokana, Tai, Eleme, Andoni, Opobo-Nkoro and Oyigbo local government areas, with the Independent National Electoral Commission overseeing the exercise.

Despite heavy rainfall in several communities during the early hours of Saturday, voter turnout was impressive in many polling units, particularly in Gokana Local Government Area, where residents queued to participate in the election.

At B-Dere Ward 4 in Gokana, which comprises 21 polling units, a large number of voters were already present as accreditation and voting commenced.

The election is being held to fill the vacancy created by the death of former senator Barry Mpigi, who represented the district until his passing in February.

The early morning downpour, however, affected logistics in some areas, delaying the distribution of election materials and causing accreditation to start later than scheduled in a number of wards.

To make up for lost time, accreditation and voting were conducted simultaneously in affected polling units once materials arrived.

Among those who participated in the exercise was Chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Senator Magnus Abe, who cast his vote at Ward 16 in Bera, Gokana Local Government Area, at about 10:20 a.m.

Speaking after voting, Abe expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the exercise and commended electoral officials for their preparations.

“The election is very peaceful. There is no problem here. The weather has slowed turnout a bit, but I think the weather is improving and the turnout is also improving,” he said.

“So we are very confident that this exercise will be very successful across the Senatorial District.”

Abe also urged eligible voters to take part in the democratic process rather than remain passive observers.

“You cannot sit in your house and complain. You cannot sit on social media and be complaining and then when it is time to do the hard work as a citizen you fail to do it.

“So my appeal to all men and women of the Rivers South-East Senatorial District is to come out en masse and participate in this exercise. It is peaceful, it is fair and it is clearly transparent.

“I want to commend INEC for what they have put together,” he added.

In Tai Local Government Area, the home council of the late senator, voters defied the rain to cast their ballots, with election activities beginning before 9 a.m.

By about 11 a.m., dozens of voters had already been accredited and voted in several polling units.

A community stakeholder, Gideon Demua, praised the enthusiasm displayed by residents but noted that technical issues with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) affected operations in some locations.

“The enthusiasm of the electorate is amazing. By 7:15 a.m., almost all the units were occupied for accreditation,” Demua said.

“Materials arrived on time, and you can see the massive turnout in all the units. People are voting. The challenges we are having are with the BVAS.

“We are having network issues, technical issues in one or two units. We expect INEC to live up to expectations.”

Meanwhile, the restriction of movement imposed by the Rivers State Police Command from midnight on Friday until 6 p.m. on Saturday recorded mixed compliance across parts of the state.

In Eleme Local Government Area, heavy-duty trucks, private vehicles and commercial tricycles were observed moving along sections of the East-West Road despite the directive.

While markets remained closed in communities such as Agbonchia, Aleto and Alesa, security personnel maintained a visible presence, conducting stop-and-search operations around key locations including the Trailer Park axis.

Slight vehicular movement was also recorded in parts of Tai and Eleme as authorities continued efforts to maintain order throughout the electoral process.

Political observers are closely monitoring the poll, which is expected to determine who succeeds Mpigi and represents the district in the Senate.

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The election is also being viewed as an important test of political strength among major stakeholders in Rivers State ahead of future electoral contests.