Politics

LAGOS Command of the Nigeria Police said 15 persons sustained injuries in the fracas that erupted during the Alimosho APC West Senatorial District primaries on Monday.

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The Officer in Charge of the Command Tactical Team, Egbeda, CSP Aduroja Olurotimi, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Olurotimi said the injured persons had been rushed to the hospital for medical attention.

While he said the clash involved members of rival factions within the same party, he added that police officers and other sister security agencies swiftly moved to the scene to restore normalcy.

He added that no arrest had been made as of the time of filing this report.

NAN reports that the disruption occurred at about 1:00 p.m. in the presence of security operatives.

Eye witness said while members were being called to cast their votes, an altercation broke out among factional members, resulting in chairs, glass windows and doors being shattered at the Alimosho Local Government Area secretariat, the venue of the election.

Following the disruption, which led to a fight and stampede, party members were seen scampering to safety, while some sustained serious injuries and were rushed to the hospital.

An APC member, simply identified as Iya Ajoke, said she would no longer participate in party primaries if their safety could not be guaranteed.

“We will not come for elections if our leaders cannot guarantee our safety,” she said.
Another party faithful, Mr Ojo Aina, said the process was unnecessarily disrupted, leading to injuries among members.

“The whole process was going on smoothly before the rude disruption.

“Some women members had their faces injured by glass shards from the broken doors.
“It is really a bad sight,” Aina said.

Another member, Mrs Mistura Alao, said she had lost confidence in the entire process, adding that security operatives on the ground could not control the mayhem.