Suspected political thugs on Friday disrupted a meeting of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Young Women Forum in Alesa, Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The attackers broke into the site where the group had gathered for the launch of its forum, scattering participants and trashing things like seats, loudspeakers, and canopies.
The disruption brought the event to an abrupt end.
Eyewitnesses stated that the intruders insisted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had to give its consent for political activity in the region and that the organisers had neglected to do so.
Despite attempts by organisers to clarify the purpose of the meeting, the attackers shut it down.
Atosemi Oma-Uwame, the national coordinator of the forum, responded to the incident by denouncing it as an attempt to restrict opposing voices and prevent political involvement.
She emphasised that the event was an internal engagement for young women within the party and clarified that it was only to launch the forum’s presence in the local government and not for campaign purposes.
Oma-Uwame further disclosed that one of the participants in the disturbance was a ward councillor who objected to the party’s name being used and claimed that the organisers had not obtained permission from local authorities.
She added that she had previously been warned against holding the meeting under the party’s platform in the area.
Reaffirming the forum’s mission, she said it aims to boost the involvement of young women in politics and improve representation within party structures.
She clarified that the group is not a feminist movement but a platform focused on promoting gender inclusion in politics, encouraging interested individuals to join the party and pursue elective positions through due process.
This comes only few days after unidentified hoodlums disrupted the official opening of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) secretariat in Bakassi LGA of Cross River state, attacking party members and destroying property at the venue.
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