Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Saturday survived heavy gun attacks in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, a collation officer, Allwell Egeonu, has said.
The collation officer, a lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt, said the attack started at about 7:30 P.M. when collation was about to start in Isiokpo, headquarters of Ikwerre LGA.
“It took over 30 minutes shooting,” he said in a video interview where he described the attack. “We are lucky to have returned alive.”
Ikwere is the home local government of former Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi.
Mr Amaechi is now Nigeria’s transport Minister and a leader of the All Progressives Congress, the local opposition party in Rivers State.
The narration by the collation officer buttresses the violence that characterized the Saturday’s legislative elections in the state.
Watch the interview below.
Transcript
I’m a lecturer at the university of Port Harcourt. My name was nominated for INEC election. I didn’t know who actually sent my name. I am not a card carrier of any political party.
I just went there to do my job.
But we had finished at Ikwerre local government only to find out that by Saturday, around 7:30 (P.M) we went for the collation at Isiokpo Local Government (headquarters).
Incidentally, we were lucky to have returned alive. The sporadic shooting that commenced… it took over 30 minutes shooting and we were all led out. We managed to be rescued by the security agents.
In the process of running for dear life, we left all our materials. I am a collating officer. I had nothing. I collated nothing.
So, I felt… and this morning I informed the EO (Electoral Officer) of Ikwere LGA of about our situation. That’s my observation.
