The Rivers State Local Government Elections holding across the 23 local government areas of Rivers State today promises to unleash a new leadership across the State.

IN Bonny LGA, it has been calm with voters turning out to vote in their various units amid optimism that the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would win majority of the chairmanship and councillorship seats given the lack of any sturdy opposition by other political parties.

Kristina reports checks at the various units across the 12 Wards in Bonny LGA indicate general calm and the readiness of the electoral umpire, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to conduct the election as voting materials arrived fairly early at various polling units.

The electoral materials for the riverine Wards arrived rather late due to challenges in mobilizing logistics including security to those areas.

The joint security services deployed an elaborate strategy to contain any threats before, during and after the elections. Beginning with a show of force on the island, Nigerian Navy gunboats were deployed across the creeks.

Additionally, all intersections across the main town including Abalamabie, Oguede, and Finima were manned by heavily armed and stern looking security operatives. There were also constant patrols around the town and around the waterways.

The joint security services comprised the 146 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, Forward Operating Base (FOB) of the Nigerian Navy, Bonny and Finima Divisions of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Bonny Division of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), and the Department of State Service (DSS).

At all polling units, the RSIEC officials declared the voting materials in their custody before accreditation and voting commenced thus eliciting the cooperation of the voters.

A voter at Polling Unit 5, Ward 4, Uriah Benstowe applauded the voting process, saying it was “peaceful and calm”, stressing that the voters were all positive that it would end well.  

According to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), the participating political parties include the African Action Congress (AAC), Action Democratic Party (ADC), Accord Party (AP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), National Rescue Movement (NRM), Action Alliance (AC), People Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

Others are the Young Progressive Party (YPP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), African Democratic Congress (ADC), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Boot Party (BP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), and Action Peoples Party (APP).

In an interview with Kristina Reports shortly after casting his vote at Polling Unit 1, Ward 1 located at the premises of the Women’s Hall, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and incumbent Chairman of Bonny LGA, David Irimagha, who also adjudged the electoral process as “peaceful, calm and well organized”.

He also aligned with the optimism of his fellow party faithful that the PDP will win.

“If the voters say we will win, they are correct. They are correct because the other parties have also seen what is there. The voters know that in Bonny it is PDP and PDP is deeply rooted here.”

A Councillor in the Bonny Legislative Assembly, Christian Jumbo, and another voter, Habib Najari, who both spoke with Kristina Reports at Polling Unit 1, Ward 1 at Coal Beach, Bonny after casting their votes, reiterated similar optimism.

The lawmaker representing Bonny Constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Abinye Pepple also cast his vote at Polling Unit 5, Ward 4 along New Jerusalem Road, while the PDP chairmanship running mate and Vice Chairman of Bonny LGA, Anengi Barasua voted at her community, Greens Iwoama.

As the voting and collation processes ended at the various units, everyone is now headed towards the Ibanise Hall where the local government collation would take place.

Security has been beefed up in the area already to ward off any unwarranted eventualities during the process and the people of Bonny LGA await with bated breath the outcome of the election as will be announced by RSIEC.