PDP thugs slapped me, bombarded me with water, food at INEC office - Tonye Cole
All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate in Rivers State, Tonye Cole said on Monday he was assaulted by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) thugs at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Port Harcourt.
Mr. Cole who was at the INEC office to obtain documents to file a petition against INEC's declaration of Siminialayi Fubara as the winner of the March 18 gubernatorial election in the state, Channels TV reported. p>
Mr. Fubara, who was a PDP candidate, received 302,614 votes, while Mr. Cole came second with 95,274 votes, according to INEC.
Mr. Cole had rejected the election result and pledged to challenge it in court.
He told Channels television that he was attacked by PDP thugs who prevented him and his team from entering the INEC office on Monday.
Mr. Cole and some APC leaders in the state stormed the INEC office last Friday and threatened to return on Monday if the commission did not provide them with the documents needed to file a complaint with the Petitions Court. elections.
Recounting his ordeal, Mr Cole said: "We are supposed to be in a democracy and one of the tenets of democracy is that after an election INEC being supposed to be an impartial arbiter will have documents and these documents are available to everyone who participated in the election.They are essential documents that when we submit to an electoral tribunal, we will base our case on them before the electoral tribunal.
"On Friday we were at INEC, and we asked for these documents, but they didn't give us a single one. We said we were coming back today (Monday) and because we said that we were coming back today, the PDP organized thugs everywhere to prevent us from getting to the INEC office.
"I was not discouraged so I went with my party president, women's leader, youth leader and senior APC officials to the INEC office.
>“They had barricaded the road to GRA Junction, everywhere boys, girls. They started attacking me, I came out and a woman started dragging my shirt, they pulled me from the back, from first they were throwing water then they started throwing food and the next minute they started throwing stones.
"The next thing after that, we started hearing gunshots, my security had to force me out. They destroyed our vehicles, they injured me. They slapped me, they punched me, they pulled on my shirt, they dragged me and then threw stones at me until I injured my back,” he said.
READ ALSO: Why PDP Lost Governor's Election in Abia - Gov IkpeazuMr. Cole said they ran to the APC office for security, but the thugs followed them to the party office.
Speaking further, Mr Cole urged INEC and Inspector General of Police Usman Baba to intervene, adding that the Rivers State Governor's Court cannot hold in the state with current events.
Tonye Cole playing gallery – PDPThe PDP, including PREMIUM TIMES, had organized a demonstration at the INEC office in the ...
All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate in Rivers State, Tonye Cole said on Monday he was assaulted by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) thugs at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Port Harcourt.
Mr. Cole who was at the INEC office to obtain documents to file a petition against INEC's declaration of Siminialayi Fubara as the winner of the March 18 gubernatorial election in the state, Channels TV reported. p>
Mr. Fubara, who was a PDP candidate, received 302,614 votes, while Mr. Cole came second with 95,274 votes, according to INEC.
Mr. Cole had rejected the election result and pledged to challenge it in court.
He told Channels television that he was attacked by PDP thugs who prevented him and his team from entering the INEC office on Monday.
Mr. Cole and some APC leaders in the state stormed the INEC office last Friday and threatened to return on Monday if the commission did not provide them with the documents needed to file a complaint with the Petitions Court. elections.
Recounting his ordeal, Mr Cole said: "We are supposed to be in a democracy and one of the tenets of democracy is that after an election INEC being supposed to be an impartial arbiter will have documents and these documents are available to everyone who participated in the election.They are essential documents that when we submit to an electoral tribunal, we will base our case on them before the electoral tribunal.
"On Friday we were at INEC, and we asked for these documents, but they didn't give us a single one. We said we were coming back today (Monday) and because we said that we were coming back today, the PDP organized thugs everywhere to prevent us from getting to the INEC office.
"I was not discouraged so I went with my party president, women's leader, youth leader and senior APC officials to the INEC office.
>“They had barricaded the road to GRA Junction, everywhere boys, girls. They started attacking me, I came out and a woman started dragging my shirt, they pulled me from the back, from first they were throwing water then they started throwing food and the next minute they started throwing stones.
"The next thing after that, we started hearing gunshots, my security had to force me out. They destroyed our vehicles, they injured me. They slapped me, they punched me, they pulled on my shirt, they dragged me and then threw stones at me until I injured my back,” he said.
READ ALSO: Why PDP Lost Governor's Election in Abia - Gov IkpeazuMr. Cole said they ran to the APC office for security, but the thugs followed them to the party office.
Speaking further, Mr Cole urged INEC and Inspector General of Police Usman Baba to intervene, adding that the Rivers State Governor's Court cannot hold in the state with current events.
Tonye Cole playing gallery – PDPThe PDP, including PREMIUM TIMES, had organized a demonstration at the INEC office in the ...
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