From Taiwo Amodu (in Rivers)

ANXIOUS voters turned out very early yesterday to cast their votes in the state and national assemblies re-run elections in Rivers State.
Heavy presence of security agents was noticed within major roads and polling units visited by Sunday Sun in Eleme Local Government Area (LGA).
Poor logistic on the part of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), however, dampened the morale of enthusiastic voters, as officials of the electoral body failed to turn up on time to commence accreditation of voters.
In Ngetu, Unit 8, voters were on ground as early as 7: 30a.m. but there was no official of the electoral umpire to attend to them. The situation was not different at Aluebo town hall, Unit 2, ward 3 in the same Eleme LGA, as voters waited patiently for INEC officials to come with voting materials.
Sunday Sun gathered that the INEC officials had logistic challenges with regards to moving the voting materials from its secretariat in Port Harcourt to the polling units. But the situation was different in Unit 1 and 2, Ward 1, as voting was hitch free even as voters conducted themselves peacefully. The process was however disrupted at Abonchia, Ward 8, also in Eleme LGA.
Speaking on the late movement of sensitive materials to polling units, INEC Deputy Director of Publicity and Voters’ Education, Nick Dazang, attributed the development to sporadic shootings by hoodlums.
He told Sunday Sun on phone: “It wasn’t caused by us, but by the early sporadic shootings. So, we couldn’t get materials to polling units on time. That explains the lateness. I can tell you that a staff of our Commission was seriously wounded and had to be taken to the hospital. We didn’t envisage the shootings, but the materials still got to the polling units.”
Meanwhile, the INEC has released what it called its interim report of the re-run elections.
In the report, the electoral umpire said the re-run elections were generally peaceful in some LGAs, but admitted that it was marred by violence in Akuku-Toru, Khana, Andoni and Tai constituency.
The report read: “The elections were generally peaceful and the turnout was impressive except in Akuku-Toru, Gokana, Khana, Andoni and Tai LGAs. There were alleged reports of dynamite explosions in Akuku-Toru. INEC officials were attacked in Khana; electoral materials were snatched in Andoni and our staff were prevented from conducting the elections in Tai State constituency.  “In a few other areas where hoodlums threatened the conduct of the exercise, the security agencies intervened and ensured that the elections were conducted in a peaceful atmosphere.”