The Independent National Electoral Commission has suspended re-run legislative election in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, Mr Austin Okojie, a Supervising Resident Electoral Commissioner said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that elections were scheduled to hold in five units of Ward 12.
Okojie told newsmen at Abonnema, headquarters of Akuku-Toru Local Government on Saturday that the decision to suspend the election was taken after a meeting with representatives of parties.
He said the election would be held on Sunday.
He said INEC did not continue with the exercise because ad-hoc staff and corps members complained of lateness.
Meanwhile, representatives of the APC and PDP have expressed mixed reactions to the suspension of the election.
Mr Tonye Alalibo, Care Taker Committee Chairman of the Local Government,said that the suspension would allow the APC manipulate the process.
Alalibo said the PDP was ready for the elections but INEC decided to suspend the process.
Mr Isobo Jack, a leader of the APC in the area, said it was unfortunate that the elections couldn’t hold but hoped that it would be held as agreed.
Jack urged his party faithful to be patient and avoid anything that could cause crisis.
Meanwhile, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Rivers, Mr Aniedi Ikowak, has hailed the peaceful conduct of the rerun legislative elections.
Aniedi made the remark while monitoring the election at Rumuigbo, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.
He said reported cases of rumours on skirmishes would be investigated.
Also speaking, the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations (DIG), Habila Joshak, also scored the conduct of the election high.
He said contrary to some reports of violence, the exercise was generally peaceful.
Joshak also hailed the people of the state for conducting themselves orderly.
He urged the media to verify information before going to press.
At Rumuomasi, Obio/Akpor Local Government, the party agents also commended INEC on the conduct of the election, saying it was generally peaceful unlike how it used to be in recent times.
The agents, Mr Ikechi Okpobiri (PDP) and that of the APC who simply introduced herself as Miss Tina, spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
They said that the peace and the orderliness should be maintained.
But the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Theophilus Odagme, who was at the INEC office in Bori, Khana Local Government complained of irregularities in the area.
