Some residents of Rivers State, particularly in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, ignored the state’s no-movement directive on Saturday as the local government elections took place.

Shops and roadside stalls were seen open despite the government’s 12-hour restriction meant to ensure a hitch-free poll across the 23 LGAs. The directive was part of security measures for the elections to fill chairmanship and councillorship seats.

For many traders, however, survival outweighed compliance.

Chinedu Okoro, who runs a provision store at Woji Ward 6, said shutting down his business would mean going without food for his family. “I have children and a sick mother to care for. If I don’t make sales today, we won’t eat,” he explained.

Food vendors also opened their stalls. Comfort Brown, who deals in perishable goods, said she had stocked up before learning about the restriction. “If I don’t cook and sell, everything will spoil, and I can’t afford that kind of loss,” she noted.

Fruit seller Blessing added that she preferred to engage in business rather than sit idle at home without electricity. “I’m not here to cause any disturbance. I just need to earn something small,” she said.

Although the order was in place, residents were still spotted moving about for different reasons, pointing to the difficulty of enforcing total compliance amid the state’s prevailing economic realities.

The elections continued under this mixed atmosphere of official restriction and grassroots defiance.