Rivers LG Polls: Vote Count Campaigners To Deploy 1,000 Observers, 30 Drones

The Vote Count Campaign Organisation has said it would be deploying over 1,000 election observers to monitor Saturday, October 5, local government elections in Rivers State.

The President of the group, Amb. Emmanuel Nkweke, said the action was to observe compliance with electoral laws and deter any form of rigging, voter intimidation or vote buying, among others, during the course of the exercise.

He said the organisation will also be deploying 30 drone systems as well as open its Situation Room to observe the elections.

Amb. Nkweke, who briefed newsmen in the state, called on the people of Rivers State to be law abiding before, during and after the elections.

Also, Amb. Christian Lekiah, the South-South coordinator of the association, urged Rivers people to bury their hatchets and come together to ensure that the election is a successful one. He said the people should remember that at the end of the voting exercise, the peace and progress of the state are more important than the interest of any private individual.

For his part, Amb George Ojadi, the Rivers State coordinator of Vote Count Campaign Organisation, called for a peaceful election. In his words: “Rivers people are craving to have elected officials that will run the third tier of government in the state. It is imperative that everybody come together to participate in a peaceful way. Our organisation has concluded arrangements to deploy a thousand of observers, with a Situation Room that will keep the people abreast of what is going on in the field as well as deploy a drone system that will ensure that all activities during the elections are drastically covered.”