Tonye Cole, the APC candidate in the Rivers State governorship election, has accused the PDP of sending thugs to attack him and his team. The incident occurred on Monday when he and some leaders of his party were at the INEC office to obtain documents used for the election. According to Cole, the documents are needed to file a petition challenging the declaration of Siminialayi Fubara, as the winner of the election.
Cole said that he was assaulted by thugs allegedly sent by the PDP. He was pelted with water, food, and stones until he got injured. He added that they even followed him and his team to the APC office for safety. The INEC office had been barricaded, and everywhere was filled with youths, he said.
Cole urged the INEC national headquarters and the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, to intervene. The current happenings could prevent the Rivers State governorship tribunal from holding. He also mentioned that they had asked for the documents from the INEC office on Friday but had not received them.
The State PDP Chairman, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, and the Chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area, Samuel Nwanosike, have neither taken calls nor responded to text messages. Another lead protester, Edison Ehie, who is the Deputy Speaker of the State Assembly, could not be reached as his phone is said to be switched off.
INEC had declared PDP’s Fubara as the winner of the governorship election with 302,614 votes, while Cole polled 95,274 votes. However, Cole rejected the result and vowed to challenge it at the tribunal.
