APC Primaries: Party Supporters Clash In Lagos

A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent who monitored the primary in the area reports that disagreement between supporters of two contenders in the state assembly race, led to disturbances in some areas, with shops looted and property destroyed.

Disagreements among supporters of aspirants disrupted the peace temporarily in Ward F, Grammar School, and Italewa Ward, with gunshots being fired into the air, leaving people scampering to safety at around 1.30p.m.

Some shops were also vandalised and property destroyed by hoodlums who took advantage of the problem to loot around Ota Ona Junction, in the local government area.

The Area Commander, Ikorodu, ACP Amadu Dankasa told NAN that he deployed his men to all the strategic hot zones where the election would be taking place to ensure peace.

The area commander warned supporters of contestants to maintain peace, warning that anybody caught would face the law.

“The problem has been surmounted now, but anyone arrested will be seriously dealt with,” Dankasa told NAN shortly after.

NAN reports that officers of Operation Awatse joined the police to restore normalcy to the area and a security officer who sought anonymity said that two persons had been arrested.

In Badagry, Police and Nigeria Army vehicles were seeing patrolling major streets to ensure there was no breakdown of law and order.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that five aspirants are eying the Lagos State House of Assembly Badagry constituency 1 seat, and contesting fly the party’s flag.

They are Mr Olawale Yahaya, Mr Olufemi Hunsu, Mr Babatunde Mesewaku, Mr Bonu Solomon and the incumbent Hon Ibrahim Layode.

NAN correspondent that monitored the exercise in some areas reports that there was high turn out of APC members at Sand fill Marina Street voting centre where Layode and Yahaya were expected to vote.

The APC electoral officers came around noon and appealed to members to queue behind their candidates.

Meanwhile, there was confusion when the party electoral officer started counting members who were standing behind their preferred aspirants and disagreement arose over the manner in which it was being done.

This resulted to a fight among the supporters at the venue.

The Badagry Divisional Police Officer, Mr Samson Akhiromen, appealed to the party men to allow peace to reign, telling them they are one family.

Akhiromen told NAN that his officers and other security agencies were fully on ground to ensure there was no breakdown of law and order.

The DPO said that he had gone round other centres and voting was going on peacefully there. (NAN)