By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
There was sporadic shooting as members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress, APC clash at the Port Harcourt office of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC on Monday.
Some PDP supporters had gathered at INEC office early Monday morning to demand that all political parties must be allowed to jointly inspect INEC documents.
Specifically, the PDP protesters were demanding for joint inspection of the Certified True Copies (CTC) of result sheets used in the February 25 and March 18 elections in Rivers State for the party’s tribunal cases.
They were led by the Deputy Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Edison Ehie, who was re-elected in the March 18 election and Samuel Nwanosike, the Chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area (LGA)
But they later clashed with APC supporters who accompanied Tonye Cole, the governorship candidate of their party to the INEC office who was trying to gain access to INEC office for scheduled inspection of documents needed by the party to file its case at Election Petition Tribunal.
However, the clash led to chaotic scene at INEC office as some of the PDP protesters said Tonye Cole must be arrested for allegedly disrupting their peaceful protest.
Damaged SUV.
On his part, Nwanosike accused INEC and the Police of being biased in favour of APC and Cole. He claimed INEC allowed APC exclusive access to Certified True Copies of Election materials against other parties.
Speaking to reporters later, Cole said that APC has credible information that PDP members planned to engage in continuous protests around INEC office to prevent opposition parties and their lawyers from having access to relevant documents until the time set for filing petitions at election tribunal elapsed.
“They claimed that they have won freely and fairly. But we are saying no, that the election was rigged and we want to prove it at the tribunal and they are saying we should not”.
At time filing this report, detachment of security personnel from the Police other security agencies are finding hard calming down the party supporters around INEC office.
Some persons sustained injuries, vehicles vandalized during the fracas between the party supporters.
Some portions of Port Harcourt-Aba expressway, especially around INEC axis were blocked by security agencies causing heavy traffic.
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