The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cancelled
\nelections in Bonny and Akuku Toru local government areas (LGAs) of Rivers
\nstate following outbreak of violence.<\/p>\n
Festus Okoye, INEC\u2019s national commissioner for information and voter
\neducation, announced this at a press briefing in Abuja on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Okoye said elections in the area would hold on a date yet to be chosen by
\nthe commission.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have received reports related to incidents in Akuku Toru and Bonny
\nlocal government areas of Rivers state,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo long as the commission could not deploy in these areas, the
\nimplication is that polls did not open in these areas and the commission
\nwill hold consultations with the relevant authorities and with the
\nresident electoral commissioner in relation to these areas and will
\nannounce the dates when polls will take place in some of these areas,
\nespecially in relation to the areas that may be affected as it relates to
\nthe house of representatives elections and senatorial elections.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to harvest where voting did not take place and we\u2019re going to
\ntake a position as a commission. In Bonny, there was no election at all.
\nThe exercise there has been postponed. It will hold on another day.<\/p>\n
In a related incident, Edwin Enabor, INEC spokesperson in Rivers state,
\nsaid Okrika LGA was also marred by irregularities, as sensitive materials
\nfor a whole ward was diverted.<\/p>\n
He said voting could not hold in the affected area and as such new dates
\nwould be announced for voters to cast their ballot.<\/p>\n
\u201cVoting did not hold in the affected registration area,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe position of the commission is that election will be conducted
\nseparately for that registration area later.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reactions have trailed the violence that broke out in the state with many
\non Twitter saying that they are not surprised by the tension the elections
\ngenerated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe violence in #Rivers is just too much. For an election without the APC
\non the ballot,\u201d Odogwu Mobi, a Twitter user wrote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cancelled elections in Bonny and Akuku Toru local government areas (LGAs) of Rivers state following outbreak of violence. Festus Okoye, INEC\u2019s national commissioner…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":65042,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n