There was tension in Amaimo, Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State as gunshots rented the atmosphere on Saturday.
It was gathered that the gunshots followed a clash between police officers and party agents over the distribution of the governorship election materials.
The incident, which occurred at about 9:40 a.m. in Amaimo Central School, Amaimo ward in Imo State on Saturday, led to pandemonium as electorate scampered for safety.
In Imo, the current governor, Hope Uzodinma’s term expires on January 14, 2024, while that of Kogi and Bayelsa States had respective terms that expire on January 26, 2024, and February 13 of the same year.
The insecurity-ravaged Imo is one of the two States being controlled by the APC in the South-East.
INEC cleared 17 candidates for the forthcoming governorship election. The major candidates are Hope Uzodinma of the APC, LP’s Athan Nneji Achonu and Samuel Anyanwu of the PDP.
Meanwhile, the ongoing governorship election in Kogi State recorded mass turnout of voters in most polling units in Lokoja, the state capital.
The election witnessed an early arrival of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and voting materials.
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In polling unit 067 ward A, Kogi Hotel Tourism Board, accreditation of voters and voting started at 8.30 a.m. , as most voters were already on queue before accreditation time.
The situation was also the same at polling unit 065 ward A Saron Gari, where voters were seen taking their turn to vote.
In polling unit 068 ward A, Baptist Plaza, voters conducted themselves peacefully, even without the presence of a security agent at the polling unit.
In polling unit 012 ward A, Crowder Memorial College, there was also massive turnout of voters and the election was hitch-free.
The situation was not much different in other polling units in Lokoja.