Rivers PDP supporters demonstrate outside INEC office, confront Cole and his supporters
Supporters of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) took to the streets of Port Harcourt yesterday to protest what they said were attempts to breach the party's mandate to govern the state for the next four years , insisting that the electoral arbiter must remain apolitical and independent.
The supporters, who marched on Aba road from the GRA junction to the water pipes, demanded the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to carry out a joint inspection of the political parties on its documents and to not allow only one political party to inspect documents.
Supporters displayed posters with different inscriptions such as: "PDP requires CTC (Certified True Copy) of all INEC results;" "Save our mandate, give us our mandate, INEC."
Speaking to The Guardian, one of the protesters, Ikechi Worlu, said: "No interference or threat can alter the mandate freely given to us by the brave people of Rivers State.< /p>
"The PDP in Rivers State must be treated fairly in the just-concluded general election as we have won massively and convincingly.
“We demand an authentic copy of the 2023 results in hard copy and on IReV. Democracy must be protected and preserved in Rivers State.”
The protest follows a visit by All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate Tonye Cole to the INEC office on Friday, asking INEC to allow the party access to the CTC to election results and documents.
Meanwhile, as PDP supporters made their demands, Cole and State Party Chairman Emeka Beke arrived at the scene to honor the Commission's invitation, but PDP supporters prevented from accessing the office of the Commission.
Moments later, the atmosphere became charged as youths began throwing stones at the APC leaders in an effort to chase them away.
Cole and Beke were attacked by suspected political thugs.
The situation snowballed into heavy gunfire and wiped out all activity as armed youths took over. Although no casualties were recorded, some cars belonging to APC leaders were damaged.
The thugs fired sporadically in the air and moved freely from the former Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) office, across from INEC, and through the Polo Club in the area reserved for the government.
Supporters of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) took to the streets of Port Harcourt yesterday to protest what they said were attempts to breach the party's mandate to govern the state for the next four years , insisting that the electoral arbiter must remain apolitical and independent.
The supporters, who marched on Aba road from the GRA junction to the water pipes, demanded the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to carry out a joint inspection of the political parties on its documents and to not allow only one political party to inspect documents.
Supporters displayed posters with different inscriptions such as: "PDP requires CTC (Certified True Copy) of all INEC results;" "Save our mandate, give us our mandate, INEC."
Speaking to The Guardian, one of the protesters, Ikechi Worlu, said: "No interference or threat can alter the mandate freely given to us by the brave people of Rivers State.< /p>
"The PDP in Rivers State must be treated fairly in the just-concluded general election as we have won massively and convincingly.
“We demand an authentic copy of the 2023 results in hard copy and on IReV. Democracy must be protected and preserved in Rivers State.”
The protest follows a visit by All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate Tonye Cole to the INEC office on Friday, asking INEC to allow the party access to the CTC to election results and documents.
Meanwhile, as PDP supporters made their demands, Cole and State Party Chairman Emeka Beke arrived at the scene to honor the Commission's invitation, but PDP supporters prevented from accessing the office of the Commission.
Moments later, the atmosphere became charged as youths began throwing stones at the APC leaders in an effort to chase them away.
Cole and Beke were attacked by suspected political thugs.
The situation snowballed into heavy gunfire and wiped out all activity as armed youths took over. Although no casualties were recorded, some cars belonging to APC leaders were damaged.
The thugs fired sporadically in the air and moved freely from the former Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) office, across from INEC, and through the Polo Club in the area reserved for the government.
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