Skip to main content

Violence Erupts At APC Election In Lagos, Ex-Senator Manhandled

Violence erupted midway into the primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to elect chairmanship candidates for the July 22 council polls in Lagos State on Saturday, ending the event abruptly.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some aggrieved party supporters engaged one another in a free-for-all midway into the election, smashing ballot boxes over allegations of an imposition of candidates at the election.
Scores of delegates and others present at the Teslim Balogun Stadium venue fled in different directions as a result of the fracas, even as some were injured.
The chairman of the Elections Committee, Tokunbo Afikuyomi, a former senator, was also attacked, and partially stripped by angry supporters who accused him of impartiality as he scampered to safety.
Security officials later forced him out of the grip of the angry youth and whisked him away.
NAN reports trouble started when some party members in Surulere and Lagos Mainland openly protested against the names of candidates being read out by Mr. Afikuyomi for endorsement as consensus candidates.
They alleged that the party leadership was foisting candidates on them and said the decision of the leadership to approve consensus candidates in 18 councils was wrong.
The aggrieved members initially vented their anger through protests, but it later degenerated into the fracas between supporters of selected candidates and those who opposed them.
A party faithful, Wale Tokunbo, had told NAN shortly before the violence broke out that the substitution of Tajudeen Ajide for the Surulere Local Government Area Chairmanship for another candidate was unjust.
“The removal of Ajide’s name for the name of somebody we don’t know is not acceptable to us.
“If we talk about democracy, we should be able to practice it. This primary is a sham; we would resist it,” he said.
Another party faithful in Mainland Local Government who pleaded anonymity had told NAN that party members were surprised at the mention of Yaba Local Government as one of the areas with a consensus candidate at the primary.
He said there were aspirants contesting for the post in the area and that nobody knew of the consensus candidate until they got to the venue.
“What consensus candidates are they talking about? We are just knowing that Yaba is one of them now. This is wrong,” he said.
Earlier in his speech, the Chairman of the party, Henry Ajomale, had urged the delegates and other supporters not to be violent.
“I welcome you all to this election and I urge you all conduct yourselves in a peaceful manner.
“We have the information that some people are here to cause trouble. We shouldn’t allow them because they are saboteurs, “he said.
NAN reports that the names of Toba Oke (Ifako Ijaiye) and Kamal Bashua (Lagos Island East) were among the few candidates out of the 57 endorsed at the primary before violence broke out. (NAN)
Former Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi hassled by aggrieved delegates

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We Don’t Know The Real Age of Nigerian Players - Rohr

Head coach of the Super Eagles, Gernot Rohr, has admitted he is not comfortable with the age factor of players based in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL). Rohr revealed that it is the reason he hardly invites them to the national team. “There is an existing problem with Nigeria based players. We cannot tell their real age,” he said in an interview with Brila FM. Goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa was the only home-based player invited by Rohr, for the recent games against Algeria and Senegal. The former Gabon and Burkina Faso coach, has however stated that the door is not closed on the best players in the NPFL.
Post a Comment
Read more

Kenny Baker, actor behind R2-D2, dies

The 3ft 8in actor, who starred in six Star Wars films as well as Time Bandits and Flash Gordon, was 81 The British actor who played R2-D2 in the Star Wars films has died at the age of 81 after a long illness. Kenny Baker, who was 3ft 8in tall, shot to fame in 1977 when he first played the robot character. Meeting Kenny Baker, the real-live human behind R2-D2 He went on to play the character in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, as well as the three Star Wars prequels from 1999 to 2005. He also appeared in a number of other much loved films in the 1980s, including The Elephant Man, Time Bandits and Flash Gordon. His niece, Abigail Shield, paid tribute to her uncle. She told the Guardian: “It was expected, but it’s sad nonetheless. He had a very long and fulfilled life. He brought lots of happiness to people and we’ll be celebrating the fact that he was well loved throughout the world. We’re all very proud of what he achieved in his lifetime.” Baker and Shiel...
Post a Comment
Read more

Comedian Basketmouth robbed in his Lekki home

Basketmouth Famous Nigerian stand-up comedian, Bright Okpocha popularly known as Basketmouth and his family were in the early hours of this morning robbed at their Lekki home at gunpoint. His close friend and colleague, comedian Bovi took to his Instagram page to say that Basketmouth and family are safe and unhurt after the robber’s invasion. According to Bovi, the bandits carted away valuables and the security footage. See his post below:
Post a Comment
Read more