Two feared dead, as violence, confusion accompany Lagos APC LG primaries

At least two people were confirmed killed, and more injured on Saturday as the All Progressives Congress [APC) primaries for local government elections turned violent in some parts of the state.

The exercise was characterized by confusion and violence in many parts of as hoodlums stormed venues for the primaries, and party officials accused of favouring particular candidates ahead of the July 24 local government elections.

Ripples Nigeria gathered that hundreds of APC members on Saturday kept vigil at the party’s state secretariat in Lagos to express their anger over the alleged lack of fairness in the exercise.

Armed security operatives had mounted heavy presence at the secretariat and barricaded access roads leading into the premises of the party secretariat.

In Badagry, voting did not take place in all the 10 wards as there were disruptions and harassment over a wrong voters’ register.

In Agege, wrong accreditation sheets were brought and the electorate could not find their numbers and names on the voters’ register.

“There was no primary election in Agege; actually people came out early in the morning to cast their votes but were later scattered by some sponsored hoodlums.

“The activities of the hoodlums affected all the seven wards across the local government area,’’ Sola Osolana, a chairmanship aspirant in Agege told newsmen.

Osolana said that the hoodlums touched all the wards in the council from A-G to ensure the election did not hold or was cancelled.

READ ALSO: Group criticizes Lagos APC over N2m nomination fee for LG polls

“We appeal to the party leadership to shift the primaries to the state secretariat of the APC, Acme in Lagos.

“It is very clear that some people want genuine change but few want to disrupt the change thereby manipulating the progress of the party,” he said.

Prince Abiodun Ogunji, incumbent Vice Chairman, Agege Local Government, who is also an aspirant, decried the activities of the hoodlums during the primary election.

“There was no election in Agege. We want the election to be rescheduled with thorough supervisions from the leaders,’’ he said.

However, Hon Babatunde Hunpe, representing Badagry in the House of Representatives, said the arrangements were alright until some people started disturbing the process in some centres because the process was not in their favour.

“With the situation of things in Badagry Local Government, it is now left for the state executive of the party to decide on the next steps,” he said.

Most of the voting centres in Badagry did not vote as voters went home after waiting endlessly for hours.

The ruling party on Saturday scheduled open secret ballot primaries in the 245 wards across the 20 Local Governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) to select its chairmanship and councillorship flag-bearers ahead of the July 24 council polls.

The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) has scheduled July 24 for the Local Government election in the state.

By Mayowa Oladeji

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