The British High Commission in Nigeria has expressed concerns over the report of military interference in the election in Rivers State.
The commission was reacting to reports from its election observers about the tension at the collation centre in Port Harcourt.
It said the military interference in the polls is putting stress on the staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission and has made it difficult for them to carry out their duties.
According to its tweet, it said, “Extremely concerned by reports, including from @UKinnigeria observers, of military interference in the election process in Rivers State. Monitoring the situation closely @inec staff must be allowed to do their jobs in safety, without intimidation.”
There has been a heavy presence of the military in River State, which has been rocked with election violence since the presidential polls.
Prior to the governorship and state of assembly election, there have been concerns about the security of voters in the state.
Despite the fears, many trooped out to vote in their sixth governorship and state election.
The insecurity led INEC to suspend the electoral process.
The commission made the announcement in a press statement signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, and published on its official twitter handle.
“Based on reports from our officials in the field, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has determined that there has been widespread disruption of elections conducted on the 9th day of March, 2019 in Rivers State.
“These initial reports suggest that violence occurred in a substantial number of polling units and collation centers, staff have been taken hostage and materials including result sheets have either been seized or destroyed by unauthorized persons.
“In addition, safety of our staff appears to be in jeopardy all over the state and the commission is concerned about the credibility of the process,” INEC had said.
The main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party on Sunday condemned the suspension.
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