One injured as PDP, APC members clash in Rivers

One person was injured on Monday after some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) clashed in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital over the inspection of electoral materials used for the March 18 governorship election in the state.

It was gathered that the clash started when the APC gubernatorial candidate, Tonye Cole, and members of his party arrived at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Port Harcourt to inspect the materials used in the just-concluded election in the state.

It was learned that Cole was forced to turn back by PDP members who were already at the INEC office before his arrival.

The situation caused pandemonium in the state capital as the PDP members demanded the joint inspection of election results and the Certified True Copies of result sheets for the just-conclude poll.

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The security operatives attached to Cole, however, shielded him and whisked him into the vehicle, but the protesters continued pelting sachet water in his direction.

Some soldiers and officers of the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) later arrived and shot into the air to disperse the protesters.

An eyewitness, however, disclosed that one of the security operatives attached to the APC governorship candidate fired the shot which hit one of the protesters who was advancing towards him.

The protester was said to have bled profusely on the floor due to a gunshot that injured his leg before his friends took him to the hospital.

Cole’s security operatives were said to have whisked him away from the scene, while the APC supporters there scampered for safety.

The Star