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• Abe, others commend INEC for peaceful poll
Saturday’s by-election for the Rivers South-East Senatorial District in Rivers State witnessed an impressive turnout of voters despite the morning downpour.
The exercise took place across the seven local government areas of Khana, Gokana, Tai, Eleme, Andoni, Opobo and Oyigbo, which were affected by the by-election.
It was conducted to fill the vacant seat created by the death of the former representative, Senator Barry Mpigi, who died in February 2026.
The rainfall delayed the distribution of election materials to various wards, leading to delays in accreditation in some areas.
However, voter accreditation and voting were conducted simultaneously.
In areas such as B-Dere, Ward 4, in Gokana Local Government Area, which comprises 21 polling units, a large turnout of voters was recorded.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Senator Magnus Abe, voted in Ward 16 in his hometown of Bere Community, Gokana Local Government Area.
Speaking to journalists after casting his vote, Abe said the exercise was peaceful and successful, and thanked the people for their support.
He said: “The election is very peaceful. There is no problem here. The weather has slowed turnout a bit, but I think it is improving and the turnout is also improving. So, we are very confident that this exercise will be very successful across the Senatorial District.”
Senator Abe, who also represented the senatorial district in the past, urged the people of Rivers South-East Senatorial District to come out and vote, while commending the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for conducting a free and fair by-election.
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He said: “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.
“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.”
In Tai Local Government Area, where the late Senator Barry Mpigi hailed from, the electorate defied the morning rain and came out to cast their votes.
Speaking after casting his vote, a stakeholder in the area, Gideon Demua, lauded voters for coming out despite the downpour.
He said: “The enthusiasm of the electorate is amazing. By 7:15 am almost all the Units were occupied for accreditation.
“Materials arrived on time and you can see the massive turn in all the units. People are voting. The challenges we are having is on the B-VAS. We are having network issues, technical issues in one or two units. We expect INEC to live up to expectation.”
Meanwhile, despite the restriction of movement from midnight on Friday, June 19, to 6:00 pm on Saturday, June 20, announced by the state Police Command, some shops opened for business in some areas.
The restriction had no effect on the Eleme axis of the East-West Road, as heavy-duty vehicles, cars and tricycles were seen moving freely while carrying out their normal activities.
However, in Agbonchia, Aleto and Alesa communities of Eleme Local Government Area, markets were closed, while police officers were seen conducting stop-and-search operations along the Trailer Park axis of Onne.
The four major contestants in the by-election were Dr Douglas Fabeke of the Action Alliance (AA), Osarosaka Ebenezer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sam Barikpoa of the Labour Party (LP), and Olaka Nwogu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
