Aclash broke out yesterday at the Port Harcourt office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) between supporters of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the rival All Progressives Congress (APC).

At least one person sustained a gunshot injury. Several vehicles were damaged during the free-for-all that ensued.

Prior to the clash, some members of the Rivers PDP stormed the INEC office for a protest to demand a joint inspection of election materials by all political parties.

It was learnt that the APC candidate in the March 18 governorship poll, Tonye Cole, accompanied by the State APC Chairman, Emeka Beke and other party leaders were sighted in an opposite direction proceeding to the INEC office.

On sighting them, protesting youths were allegedly said pelting them with stones and water sachets.

But security operatives came to the rescue and ferried him away from the scene of the protest.

Soldiers of the 6 Division, Nigeria’ Army, operatives of the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria  Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) rushed to the scene and shot into the air to disperse the protesters.

It was also gathered that one of the security operatives attached to Cole fired the stray bullet that hit one of the protesters, who later bled profusely and was carried to the hospital by sympathisers.

The anti-riot policemen, soldiers and NSCDC personnel were later seen performing a show of force with their patrol vans to forestall further attacks.

Explaining that the he was attacked miles away from the INEC office, Cole added that the motive was to stop the APC from accessing the electoral umpire’s office.

According to him, he was assaulted and injured by the youths, who were allegedly mobilised to stop them from accessing documents used for the poll.

He said the youths followed them to the APC Secretariat at Woji, GRA, and continued to throw stones and objects into the premises to prevent them from returning to INEC.

Cole said the protesters vowed to continue their action till Friday, when they would no longer have time to back their petitions with INEC documents.

He said: “There was no clash between members of the APC and the PDP. There was an assault on the APC gubernatorial candidate, myself, the chairman of the party and the woman leader, who were going peacefully to collect our documents from INEC.

“We were assaulted. We could not get anywhere near the INEC office. This was a deliberate act to prevent us from going to get materials that are critical to our petition. On Friday, we went to INEC office. There was nobody there. We went to demand for our CTC documents.

“The officer legal said he was not available. I called the REC and he said he would be available on Monday. We were asked to come on Monday to collect. Monday morning they mobilised thugs outside and they told us they would be there till Friday by which time we would have no document from INEC to present to the tribunal.

“If they want to be joined they should have followed me inside. Why will the most popular party be afraid of a single individual going to collect a document? They stoned me and injured me, slapped and punched me. It is terrible. Armed thugs are throwing stones inside APC.”