Head of Mission of the Rivers State Local Government polls observation, Dr. Gabriel Nwambu, has confirmed that 330 observers were deployed to monitor the elections.
He added that no thuggery or violence was recorded by the observers during the elections.
Dr Nwambu, stated this on Saturday evening, said that: “As the head of mission for election observation here in Rivers State, my centre deployed about 330 observers across the 23 local government areas of Rivers State.
“And we had a pre-election observation and analysis which we conducted where we made a needs analysis of what has transpired. And we noticed there was no election-related violence.
“There was no acrimony. People were campaigning strictly on issues and personalities were not being attacked, unlike the conventional elections in the past.
“And what is happening today is that elections started in good time, although it is not in all the polling units that elections commenced at 8:30am.
“There were pockets of areas where there were little delays, like election commencing around 9 am and 9:30 am, like ward 7, and some areas in Elelewon, where elections commence at about 9 am, 8:45 am and all that.”
He said the mission’s monitors reported a peaceful conduct of the elections, with no recorded incident of election -related violence.
Dr. Nwambu commended the police, and other security agencies for ensuring a peaceful conduct of the elections, adding that “this is one of the best elections in terms of the performance index of the law enforcement agencies. They are not beating up anybody.
“They are not brutalising anybody. Unlike in the past, where you would introduce yourself as an election observer, they would pretend as if they were not even hearing you.
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“This time, they are even ready to assist you to cross and go your way, provided you conduct yourself in a peaceful manner. So, I think the security situation here in River State is excellent.
“So, we believe that the electorate are happy. They came out en masse to exercise their franchise, which they feel is long overdue. And elections should really take this pace for which this election is going.
“We would recommend this pattern of election for Nigeria any day, any time, because of the peaceful disposition of both the electorate, of the candidates themselves, and then the peaceful disposition of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, which has demonstrated capacity and competence in terms of the level of preparedness.
“What is happening today is the supremacy and predominance of the rule of law.
“In previous elections, there was high voter apathy, where people were not interested in voting. But this time, people are participating. And there is no single atom of vote-buying recorded anywhere.
“We have not observed that. In all the observers we deployed to the 23 local government areas of Rivers State, there is no case of vote-buying observed anywhere. I mean, this is a pace setter. This is how an election should be.”
