The South-East Senatorial District bye-election in Rivers State was conducted peacefully and in an orderly manner on Saturday despite network disruptions that affected the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, in some polling areas.

Chairman of Khana Local Government Area, Dr Thomas Barere, stated this after casting his ballot at Unit 4, Ward 18, in Khana.

Barere said the election proceeded without major disruption, adding that the rainfall experienced in parts of the state contributed to the low turnout of voters.

He said residents who participated in the exercise understood the importance of voting and came out to perform their civic responsibility despite the weather.

The council chairman said election observers from different organisations visited polling centres within the local government area and were satisfied with the conduct of the process.

Barere said the Khana Local Government administration activated its situation room to monitor developments across the area and receive reports from various locations for prompt response to emergencies.

He said the reported BVAS difficulties were caused by a wider network challenge and not a failure of the electoral process.

According to him, technical personnel and election officials intervened to address the issue and restore the accreditation system.

Barere appealed to residents to remain calm, maintain peace and comply with electoral guidelines throughout the exercise.

Similarly, the Chairman of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, Mr James James, described the election in his council as peaceful and seamless.

James said voter participation in Opobo/Nkoro was encouraging, noting that residents turned out to vote despite the rain.

He said there were no security threats, violence or disruption at the polling units he monitored.

The council chairman expressed confidence that Opobo/Nkoro would be counted among the most peaceful local government areas in the senatorial district during the bye-election.

James urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to sustain fairness, equity and transparency in the conduct of elections and ensure that every eligible voter is given the opportunity to vote.

He added that INEC officials had taken steps to address the technical concerns reported during the election.