Voting starts on peaceful note

The House of Representatives Lokoja-Kogi federal constituency by-election commenced peacefully as early as 8a.m on Saturday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that electoral officials in some of the polling units arrived with materials to time.

Electorate in their hundreds started trooped to the polling units as early as 6:30a.m to exercise their civic rights.

However, attempt to snatch election materials and ballot box at one of the polling units at Ward B was frustrated by determined voters.

At Paparanda square, INEC staff had to flee the polling unit for safety due to confusion created by sporadic gun shots by security men attached to a government official.

The official was alleged to be going from one polling units to another in Lokoja when he was confronted by youths who questioned the legality of his action.

In Gegu and Koton Larfe towns in Kogi Local Government, the turnout of voters was impressive with women and youths in majority.

The candidate of the PDP, who hailed from Gegu, Mr Bashir Abubakar complained of intimidation and harassment of voters by some by the political appointees of the state government.

Abubakar said that he had reported the matter to security agencies.

He applauded the INEC for its level of preparation for the election but expressed fears that some people were out to frustrate the good efforts.

Police presence was observed in all the polling units visited. Also there was no incident of vote buying at the vicinity of the polling units.