An early morning rain in some parts of Rivers has delayed the movement of election personnel and materials for the Rivers South-East senatorial bye-election.
The Newsmen report that some Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) offices in the affected local government areas were flooded due to rain water.
Mrs Geraldine Ekelemu, the Head, Voter Education, INEC, Rivers, told newsmen while monitoring the exercise on Thursday that the development affected the distribution of materials.
Ekelemu also stated that the exercise was greeted with network related challenges which affect the functioning of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS)
She said that the commission had provided backup devices to ensure seamless accreditation of voters.
“Our officials in Khana, Gokana and Opobo/Nkoro responded promptly to technical faults recorded in some polling units.
“We have also deployed technical personnel across the affected local government areas for swift responses to technical hitches,” she said.
The INEC official described the conduct of the election as generally orderly and peaceful.
Ekelemu stated that INEC would continue to take steps towards ensuring hitch-free electronic accreditation of voters during election.
“These things are expected with devices and technology, but INEC always has a backup plan,” she said
She added that senior INEC officials were on ground to monitor developments and ensure prompt resolution of operational challenges.