The ongoing bye-elections to fill vacant seats in the Rivers State House of Assembly have recorded a low turnout of voters across several polling units in Ahoada East and Khana Local Government Areas.
The exercise, conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is taking place in Ahoada East Constituency II and Khana Constituency II.
As of midday, voting was underway in parts of Khana LGA. At Lueku Ward 3, Units 3, 6 and 7, accreditation and voting commenced around 10 a.m., with only a handful of voters present.
Similarly, in Ula-Apata community, Ahoada East LGA, polling at Units 1 and 3 began at about 10 a.m. However, turnout remained sparse, with few residents seen on queues. Many inhabitants continued their daily routines despite the restriction on movement. The atmosphere across the affected areas was calm.
Commercial activities were also observed in parts of the constituencies, suggesting that compliance with the movement restriction was not fully enforced.
Residents attributed the low turnout in Ahoada East to the large population of Sabbatarians in the area, noting that more voters were expected to arrive at polling units from 1 p.m.
INEC data shows that elections in Ahoada East are being held across six registration areas with 87 polling units, while Khana has eight registration areas and 155 polling units. This brings the total number of polling units across both constituencies to 242.
The electoral body also reports that Ahoada East has 41,085 registered voters, while Khana has 71,865, giving a combined total of 112,950 registered voters.
Security personnel, including police officers and members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, were deployed across several locations in both constituencies to ensure a peaceful exercise.
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