Please Note: for reference purpose, am using “Party P1 and Party P2” to describe two of the parties involved in this elections. Am not using their real names..both parties are the 2 major parties in Nigeria.
I have head couple of negative commentsabout Rivers state elections.
Last year 2015, the corpers lodge in Buguma, Asari toru LGA was set on fire because of the power tussle. Politicians in Rivers state turn themselves to animals during elections.It all started when the 2015 state house of Assembly, Representatives and senatorial election results in Rivers whereannulled by tribunal. So that means there would be a fresh election for all the positions. So many corpers like me had already made up there mind that they won’t participate as INEC adhoc staffs for security reasons.
Few monts later as the election re-run was fixed, tension increased in Rivers and Buguma my Placeof primary assignment with various killings. Many indigenes were disappearing.The week of the election, INEC came and trained us. The tension was still high. So many corpers opted out. We had already been told that corpers will be Presiding officers (P.Os) for their polling unit. So many corpers opted out of the election due to the fears, past experiences and what was going on in that Asari-Toru LGA. Coupled with the fact that the military men at the entrance of the town intercepted a casket fullof guns and other weapons. They were been transported into the Buguma to cause havoc during the election Re-run. Gradually, some corp members were opting out of the elections. The worst partof it was that the town crier said that all boys should leave the town, if not heads will roll.2 days to the elections, Buguma town was becoming empty, indigenes were leaving the town in mass just for safety. So many people had advised corpers to boycott the election unless we are guaranteed of our safety. Even when one of my students, when we were playing football on Thursday (2 days to re-run) said that the people that will come into the town the election day will be terror, and infact that all of us will run away. Andhis brother is one of the bad people that will come into the town. I and my fellow corp members took the threat seriously but with assurance from the Army closetoour lodge that the town is safe.Not until the day of the election Re-run, 19/03/2016. It’s official, “I am the Presiding officer (P.O) of my polling unit in Buguma, Asari Toru local Government. Election materials were given to I and my other fellow corp members that are P.Os of their units. As at 1:40pm when everything had been handed over to me, I took my materials to my unit. On getting there, trying to set up the arena to start the elections, I started hearing loud gun shots. Suddenly one hoodlum who I guessed was supporting one of the megaparties which I tagged “party P1.” The guyjust rushed to me and grabbed the INEC bag from me. In that INEC bag has the election results sheets, the card reader and other sensitive materials. Na so fear catch me I come run go one side. The security attached to me didn’t help matters. She is an NSCDC official. She ranaway. As the hoodlum was taking my bagaway, why some voters fled, one of the voters who I presumed was an agent of Party P2 rushed the hoodlum and began beating him until he fled. Infact that Party P2 agent and his other supporters promised that if they find any Party P1 supporter or agent in that polling unit andward, they will kill them. Before I knew what was happening, a woman who was hanging a logo and slogan of Party P1 on her neck fled. Fear gripped me. My APO tried to calmed me down. He said I should relax that they will protect me. At that moment, I wasn’t myself .Few minutes later as the voting process began, the card reader stopped working. They machine was not capturing anything. Na there I see another side of Buguma people. They asked me to use the manual method which I refused because INEC has warned without the card reader capturing any card, no voting process should be allowed. The voters began attacking me verbally. I just kept my calm. Thank God for my APO1 who is from that town. And infact, my unit and the place the election was taking place is his compound. He tried calming the voters down. I had to pack up the materials and went back to the RAC to see if the card reader could be rectified. When I got back to the RAC, I saw some corp members from other units. They saidthey were not going back to their units because hoodlums were shooting guns. Na so I begin rethink ooo because I no wan lose my life. But my APO1 was with me. He was encouraging me that if manual method was approved, we shouldgo back.After some minutes that it was discovered that 75% of the card readers issued to us were not functioning properly, my SPO said I should use accredit voters manually. I and the femalesecurity and my 2 APOs went back to the polling unit. On our way back, one of the agents working for Party P2 rushed me. He said he will deal with me that I was working for party P1. He nearly physically attacked me until my APO1 spoke their language and began pleading with him to leave me. It was glaring that that ward was dominated by party P2 they were all ready to do anything to win that ward. As I was going to my unit, Many hoodlums and some party P2 agents were just following me. I wasn’t confortable anymore. I was full of fear but my APO1 was trying to calm me down. All of them want to use me to achieve their purpose.When I got to my unit, I began manually accrediting voters as they voted, with great fear in me. Suddenly we began hearing gunshots and people began running away. Before I knew what was happening, many of the voters had ran away. The security official assigned to myunit had immediately changed to mufti and disappeared, leaving me behind. As I was about trying to put the card reader and result sheets into my personal bag so I will leave the place, about two hefty guys with matchets ran to me and began slapping and hitting me. They asked me to give them the result sheets. I gave them everything. They even took my phones and the money with me. As they moved, I ran for my dear life. Bullets were just flying in the air like knockouts. I ran to the military check points and saw many of my fellow corp members. Many of them were physically assaulted with their phones and money collected from them. We were taken to the INEC office inside their local council were we wrote a statement concerning our lost items. It was there and then that the electoral officials signed that the election in that local government is cancelled due to the massive violence.
Many of us corpers left the town immediately for safety. I have never seen an election that is so violent like this in my life. The worse part of it is that federal Government will assign an unarmed security agent to a polling unit. What is the essence of providing security in this kind of area without them being armed! May God help us.

http://hovabuzz.com/frontline/1110-rivers-election-re-run-scam-how-corp-members-were-humiliated-physically-assaulted-and-robbed-by-hoodlums-and-party-agents

Thank God for sparing your life.

I don't know why Amechi and Dakuku think the blood of their fellow humans must be wasted in exchange for political victories. God forbid evil.

amtaken:
Thank God for sparing your life.

I don't know why Amechi and Dakuku think the blood of their fellow humans must be wasted in exchange for political victories. God forbid evil.

my sister, thank God ooo. I just pray that security officials help recover our (corpers) stolen items.

Amen.

onismate:
my sister, thank God ooo. I just pray that security officials help recover our (corpers) stolen items.

Corper? Your English teacher needs to be flogged!

The whole of the North and SW seem to have gotten it right with political processes. The war zone now, as far as election is concerned, has been pushed to the SS an SE. You want to think sometimes whether this has something to do with genealogy, because some of them outside their lands tend to misbehave too during the election of which is not their problem.

Lagos politics readily comes to mind where Northerners who are equally large in population would stare clear of what these people would dare to venture thereby causing trouble.

this card reader is a ploy to always deplete the number of voters in the south, cause I don't see why when there is an election, the south always have problems with the card reader, why in the north its always working smoothly.

this country. oga Corper thank God for ur life, and avoid partaking in the rerun.

some corpers are silly sef. how much are they going to pay you that you will risk your life going for an election? just because of paltry 20k. during the general elections and even to the build up to these rerun elections the serious blood splattering violence was well documented. Yet some dumb people will still abandon all sense of reasoning and insist on serving as Polling officers.

Nobody will force you if you indicate you want to abstain from serving in the elections due to safety concerns. it's totally voluntary.

Even lecturers from Uniport came out to tell the world they would not participate as collation officers due to threats against them. Then you mumu corper who is even going to be in the front line carry your two left legs and go there because of 20k. whatever you see, take am like that. it's part of the risk of the job you signed up for. mtshew