Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) clashed in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, over the inspection of electoral materials on Monday.
Gunshots were reportedly fired during the altercation.
The confrontation began when Tonye Cole, the APC Governorship Candidate in the March 18 poll, and his party members turned up at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in the state capital to inspect the materials used in the last election.
However, they were stopped by a group of PDP members who demanded a joint inspection of election results and certified true copies of result sheets.
The PDP protesters, led by the Deputy Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Edison Ehie, and Samuel Nwanosike, the Chairman of the Ikwerre Local Government Area, blocked off access to the INEC head office by obstructing the waterlines and GRA areas of Aba road.
The demand for a joint inspection of materials was made by the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, who wanted to ensure transparency and prevent further litigation.
The placards displayed by the protesters carried messages urging INEC to make certified true copies of results available.
The protest by PDP members caused pandemonium in the area, with Aba road being blocked off and access to the INEC head office severely restricted.
The situation is still developing, and there is no official statement from the authorities on the incident yet.
The clash and the demand for a joint inspection of materials highlight the importance of transparency in election processes to prevent future conflicts and disputes.
