Tonye Cole: I was slapped, injured in fracas at Rivers INEC office

Tonye Cole, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers, says he was slapped and injured in the fracas that broke out at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in the state.

An altercation broke out when Cole arrived at the INEC office to inspect materials used in the March 18 election in the state.

Some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who were already at the INEC office reportedly insisted that both parties should inspect the materials at the same time – and that led to the violence.

The inspection of the material would enable the APC candidate and the party to file a petition against the victory of Sim Fubara, candidate of the PDP, who was declared the winner of the governorship election.

Speaking with Channels Television in Port Harcourt, the capital city of Rivers, after the incident on Monday, Cole said he was taken away from the scene to safety.

“We said we were coming back today (Monday) and because we said we are coming back today, the PDP organised thugs everywhere to prevent us from getting to the INEC office,” he said.

“I wasn’t deterred and so I went with my party chairman, the women leader, the youth leader, and senior officials of the APC to the INEC office.

“They had barricaded the road from GRA junction, everywhere boys, girls. They began to assault me. I came out and a woman began to drag my shirt, they pulled me from the back. First, they were throwing water, then they began to throw food and the next minute they started throwing stones.

“The next thing after that, we started hearing gunshots, it took my security people to forcefully evict me. They destroyed our vehicles, they injured me.

“They slapped me, they punched me, they pulled my shirt, they dragged me, and then threw stones at me until I was injured in the back.”