Some journalists in Rivers State have linked the level of success achieved in Saturday’s legislative re-run election to the heavy presence of security personnel.
Journalists who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria said it would have been difficult to record such level of success without the presence of security forces.
Olalekan Ige, Editor of a Port Harcourt-based tabloid, said movement of journalists to the different parts of the state would have been impossible without such security presence.
He said the deployment of huge security presence to the state was a strategic step by the Federal Government to ensure the success of the poll.
Ige said: “We all know how volatile Rivers is, especially during the elections.
“Without such level of security, I can tell you that the elections would not have held.
“You will agree that as journalists, we would not have had the confidence to move around to do our jobs.”
Another journalist, Ruskin Amadi, a radio reporter, said the military was highly professional and helpful in areas where he monitored the elections.
Amadi said: “At no time did I see soldiers involved at the polling units; they were mostly involved in securing the movement of materials in the places I visited
“They assisted in moving materials from the collection centres to the polling units and allowed the police to take over.”
Emeka Njoku, a television reporter, praised the security agencies for the lockdown in movement of people across the state.
Njoku said: “That nobody, including highly rated politicians, was allowed free movement unless those on official duties, is a good omen to the election.
“If people were allowed the freedom to move about, we would have recorded serious security challenges across the state.”
Analysts say although a few issues erupted in some parts, they are minimal and cannot be compared with previous elections in the state.
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