The campaign teams of All Progressives Congress, APC and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) on Thursday engaged in a bloody clash. The violence caused panic in Abeokuta, the Ogun State Capital, forcing residents to shut businesses.
A witness said the fight broke out between supporters of the two parties during a campaign tour at Mokola junction of the town.
He said the clash was between supporters of the governorship candidate of the APC, Dapo Abiodun, and a candidate of the APM, Mukaila Kazzim.
Mr Kazzim is the candidate of the APM for Abeokuta North/Obafemi Owode/Odeda Federal Constituency.
Suspected political thugs engaged themselves in a gun duel during the violence. They also used other dangerous weapons like cutlasses and knives.
During the violence, some vehicles and properties were damaged while some supporters sustained injuries.
It took the intervention of police officers in the campaign teams to salvage the situation as they fired sporadically into the air. They eventually succeeded in restoring peace and dispersing the political thugs.
A member of one of the campaign teams (name withheld) while narrating the incident to journalists said, ‘it as an act of desperation by some politicians to win the elections by “hook or crook.
“When we were approaching Mokola Junction in Abeokuta North Local government, we saw some group of people approaching us, we realised that they were fully armed.
“Suddenly they started shooting at us. Thank God for the gallant policemen who were on ground and rose up to the occasion and chased them away. If not for them, only God knows what would have happened today. It is unfortunate that our politics has gotten to this level where it has become do or die affair.”
“We should rather canvass for votes and endear ourselves to the people. That is the only way that we would have a peaceful election,” he emphasised.
The police spokesperson in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, while reacting, said, “Yes, we have heard about it (attack) but we are yet to get full details. But that notwithstanding, we have deployed our men to the area to keep the peace.”
Source: Premium Times.
