Residents of Oyigbo Local Government Area in Rivers State have voiced confidence that Saturday’s local council elections could pave the way for a full return to democratic governance in the state.
At various polling stations, community members said they hoped the exercise would mark a turning point and signal the end of emergency measures that had affected political life in recent months.
As of 8:20 a.m., voters were already gathered at polling centres, waiting for the distribution of sensitive and non-sensitive materials needed to begin voting.
Oyigbo LGA comprises 10 wards, with over 139 polling units and a voting population of about 121,815 as recorded in the 2023 general elections.
Major markets in the area, including the Eke-Oyigbo Market and the Building Materials Market, were closed in line with movement restrictions aimed at ensuring residents could participate in the polls.
Collins Odili, a trader at the Building Materials Market, said the suspension of business and transportation activities was normal during elections, noting that security agencies enforced the restriction.
Some voters pointed to the campaign of the APC chairmanship candidate, Okechukwu Akara, as a motivating factor. They recalled that Akara, accompanied by his team of councillorship candidates, had visited the area with a message of grassroots reform.
Timothy Ndudi, a youth leader from Ogboso community, described Akara as a newcomer to politics who could unite communities and strengthen local governance. He expressed hope that Akara’s emergence would restore confidence in democracy at the council level.
Ndudi also mentioned that election materials had reached the rack centre at Afam, the council headquarters, and would soon be dispatched to different wards and units. “Here at the Village Square polling unit, we are prepared with our voter cards,” he added.
Unlike previous election days when young people turned to street football, residents said the streets were calm with minimal movement as voters gathered peacefully around polling stations.