The Department of State Services, DSS was reported to have even engaged in a shoot-out with some of the political thugs.
It was as such not surprising that in the midst of the elections that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC suspended the elections in eight local government areas where the violence was more severe.
INEC boss, Mahmood Yakubu
The Rivers state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Aniedi Ikoiwak gave violence among the reasons for the suspension.
The local government areas were Khana, Bonny, Gokhana, Andoni , Tai, Eleme, Etche and Asari Toru. “Following disturbance and violence that impeded the electoral process in those parts of the state it has become necessary to suspend the elections . Please note this suspension of the rerun elections by INEC is to forestall breakdown of law and order or loss of lives and property,” INEC had said.
The electoral body said it will come up with a date for the election when it was sure the atmosphere would be conducive for the exercise.
At the moment Rivers State is not represented in the Senate because the suspension affected the senatorial elections in some areas given that all three Senate seats were being contested in the rerun following the nullification of the 2015 federal and state legislative elections.
Legislative elections
There have been cries in several quarters that delay in conducting the rerun elections may is robbing the state’s citizens of their representation in the National Assembly.
Indeed, the perspective of the citizens is missing when important issues pertaining to the state come up for mention.
The suspension has also robbed eight local government areas of adequate representation in the proceedings of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
While some stakeholders believe that the violence that was given as the reason for the suspension of the elections was not strong enough some others think the commission was right to have suspended the exercise on account of the violence.
Some persons blamed the commission for the violence recorded in most parts of the state.
Secretary to the Rivers state government, Mr Kenneth Kobani had accused the commission of shoddy preparations for the elections in his Gokhana local government area, alleging that it came for the elections with some fake materials. Kobani said some of the actions of INEC and security agents deployed to his local government led to the resistance witnessed in his area.
On his part Senator Magnus Abe who is contesting the rerun elections on the platform of his All Progressive Congress, APC accused leadership of the rival Peoples Democratic Party of promoting violence in several parts of Ogoni.
The state has witnessed killings which some blamed on cult related issues while others linked them to politics. The Police and other security agencies are yet to come up with concrete statements on reason behind the assassinations recorded so far.
The APC from accounts of the party seemed to have lost more of its members. According to the Inspector General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase who spoke in Port Harcourt there had been conflicting opinions on why the people were assasinated so he had deployed a team of officers from the homicide department at the force headquaters to assist the state Police command unravel mysteries around the deaths and fish out those behind them for prosecution.
Meantime, most residents who spoke to the Vanguard said probably early conduct of the rerun elections could reduce or stop the murderous acts witnessed in the state if they had anything to do with politics.
THE 8 LGS
Khana
Bonny
Gokhana
Andoni
Tai
Eleme
Etche
Asari Toru
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