Violence, ballot snatching mar Taraba by-election, Rivers rerun

Mild drama played out, yesterday, in Takum Local Council of Taraba State, as some youths attacked the convoy of Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Senator Alhassan Jumai Aisha.
 
The Guardian observed that voting and accreditations started smoothly at about 10:00am, though with low turnout of voters at some of the polling units.

Tension, however, ran high at about 12.30pm, when the Minister, in company of state and council officials of the All Progressives Congress (APC) went out to monitor the election, but was allegedly attacked by PDP youths, at Rogo Ward.

The youths, who were armed with stones and sticks, barricaded the streets, preventing the Minister and her convoy from passing through.

Together with her convoy, she therefore disembarked after several attempts by security operatives failed to disperse the youths.

Four vehicles, including that of the Minister, were vandalised by the youths in the process.

Meanwhile, sporadic gunshots echoed through parts of Diobu area of Port Harcourt during the bye-election to fill the Port Harcourt Constituency III seat in the Rivers State House of Assembly.

Though there was no reported case of loss of life at the time of filing this report, there were fears there could be possible outbreak of violence during collation of results.

Shortly after electoral materials arrived Units 7, 8, and 9 of Ward 18, in the Mile 3 area of Diobu, some armed youths stormed these areas, shooting sporadically into the air.

As soon as the people scampered for safety, the gunmen snatched electoral materials, some of which were also destroyed.

Similarly, at Units 1, 2 and 3 of Ward 17, voters accused a politician from the area of hijacking ballot papers and boxes.