By When supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) battled in Port Harcourt on Monday, one person was shot and injured by a stray bullet.
The Independent National Electoral Commission’s office is located along Aba Road in Port Harcourt, and earlier PDP members demonstrated in front of it.
The demonstrators asked that all political parties jointly examine electoral documents.
The APC, led by Tonye Cole, its candidate for governor, had announced last Friday that the party would storm the INEC office on Monday to demand the release of Certified True Copies of the documents used for the March 18 governorship election so that the party could begin the election petition tribunal process.
While the PDP protests continued, Cole arrived in the GRA area of Aba Road with the state APC chairman, Emeka Beke, and other party leaders. Cole was on his way to the INEC headquarters when the protestors spotted him, according to our correspondent who was on the scene.
The protesting kids ran in his direction and hurled water sachets and stones at him.
Cole was instantly protected by the security personnel assigned to him and hurried into the car, but the demonstrators kept throwing sachets of water his way.
The Nigerian Army’s 6 Division, the Nigerian Police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and other soldiers quickly arrived to disperse the demonstrators with shots fired into the air.
However, a witness claimed to have seen one of Cole’s security guards fire the shot that struck one of the demonstrators as they moved closer to him.
Before being dragged and taken to the hospital by friends, the victim was lying on the ground bleeding heavily from a gunshot wound to his leg.
The APC supporters present fled for safety when Cole’s security removed him from the area after determining that the PDP supporters outnumbered them.
The conflict is currently centered at the GRA Intersection in Port Harcourt, which is close to the INEC office.
But, anti-riot police officers, troops, and NSCDC personnel are demonstrating their force to stop additional violence.
