LIVE UPDATE: Kogi, Bayelsa, Imo States Governorship Elections

The off-cycle 2023 governorship elections holding in Bayelsa State, Kogi State, and Imo State commence today.

The Publisher reports that the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Social Democratic Party (SDP), and other political parties are all battling it out to gain control of the states.

Political heavyweights like Senator Dino Melaye, Athan Achonu, Governor Hope Uzodimma, Governor Duoye Diri, Usman Ododo, Tony Ejiogu, Senator Sam Anyanwu, Senator Timipre Sylva, amongst others, are hoping to emerge victorious today.

Stick with Naija News as we bring real-time updates to you.

10: 08: Yahaya Bello and Wife have voted at Agasahache Polling Unit 011 in Okene Local Government of the state.

Imo: Elections materials arrive late.

Electoral materials arrived late at Oji Town Primary School in Owerri North local government councils.

The materials arrived at about 9.05am.

The primary school has about three polling units – Polling Unit 005, Polling Unit 006 and Polling Unit 007.

KOGI: Muri Ajaka, SDP Guber Candidate, casts his ballot

Kogi: Gov Bello arrived at his polling unit to vote at 9.17am.

Bayelsea: Governor Duoye Diri of Bayelsa has cast his ballot. He is the PDP candidate in the election

Bayelsa: Sensitive materials have been distributed to the polling units in the Oyakiri One RAC centre in Aleibiri ward 2.

Kogi: Voting is on hold due to the absence of party agents. Only APC’s party agent is present at Ava open field Constituency 22 in Lokoja with 515 registered voters

9:00 am: Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the off-cycle governorship election in Bayelsa State, Governor Douye Diri, has voted at his polling unit.

Naija News understands that the incumbent governor arrived at the polling unit a few minutes before 9 a.m. and immediately went through the voting process.

8:30: Voting has commenced in Ward 6 unit 16 Amarata, Yanagoa

8: 20: Armoured Personal Carrier on duty at Adankolo -Lokoja, an area notorious for violence.

For refusing the command of thugs to leave the voting line, a young man was killed at a polling unit at Adankolo-Lokoja in 2019. The deceased had insisted to vote for the candidate of his choice when the hoodlums gunned him down

8:13: There is heavy deployment of security personnel across places where election will hold.

Hundreds of thousands of voters filed out even before polling stations opened across these three states on Saturday morning.

Bayelsa: Unknown gunmen have reportedly kidnapped the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Supervising Presiding Officer (SPO) assigned to registration area 06 in Ossioma, Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State

The INEC official, whose identity was not known, was abducted at Amassoma Community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state while waiting to board a boat at a jetty in the area.