Governor elections in three states of Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, are taking place on Saturday under tight security due to concerns about electoral violence, according to security officials speaking to AFP.
The elections are being held in the states of Bayelsa (south), Imo (southeast), and Kogi (central). Consequently, the police have deployed significant resources to secure the voting operations, including helicopters. A military spokesperson specified that troops had been deployed to "enhance security." Travel restrictions in the three concerned states have also been implemented.
The fairness of the elections is closely scrutinized, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) has already warned that it may not be able to tally votes in polling stations affected by violence. On Friday, Inec reported that one of its officials had been "kidnapped while waiting to board a boat" in Bayelsa. Another boat carrying electoral documents capsized, affecting over 5,000 voters in the state.
The electoral commission, heavily criticized during the presidential elections a few months ago, has stated that it has done "everything possible to ensure that the elections are free, fair, and credible."
