The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Rivers State, Johnson Sinikiem, has declared that the recently concluded elections in the state were generally peaceful and conducted without any major hitches in all the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
Speaking at a media briefing, Sinikiem stated that despite minor challenges with uploading results due to poor network, the elections went smoothly in all the LGAs. He further revealed that collation is ongoing simultaneously at other collation centres for the Senatorial and House of Representatives elections.
However, the REC noted that there were logistic issues in two Registration Areas (RAs) in Degema Local Government Area, specifically in Tombia and Bakana, where voting could not hold. He assured the public that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had received confirmation from headquarters in Abuja to conduct the election in these areas within 24 hours.
Sinikiem also urged the citizens of Rivers State to be patient and have faith in the electoral process, emphasizing that every vote cast in the election must count. He noted that apart from violence, no other issue would affect the outcome of the elections.
The peaceful conduct of the elections across the state comes as a relief to many Nigerians, as the country has a history of election-related violence and irregularities. With the assurance from INEC that every vote will count, many are hopeful that the results of the elections will be a true reflection of the will of the people.
