Unidentified thugs stormed the venue on Saturday, forcefully disrupting events commemorating the defection of members of the Labour Party (LP) in Lagos State’s Alimosho Local Government Area to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Initially planned to take place in the LP secretariat in Idimu, the event was jointly organised by LP and ADC to officially acknowledge the movement of party members.
But when over 100 alleged thugs reportedly attacked the premises, party members and leaders were forced to evacuate, and chaos broke out.
According to eyewitnesses, the attackers attacked people they came across during the invasion, some of them carrying knives, canes, and other potentially harmful items.
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Additionally, angry cries declaring that LP and ADC were not welcome in Lagos State were heard being chanted by the attackers.
In the process, a number of party members were left injured, and party property, such as flags and furniture, was damaged.
In an effort to complete the ceremony in spite of the interruption, representatives from both parties swiftly moved the program to the Eco Centre Event Hall in Egbeda.
Speaking about the event, Mr. Olanrewaju Olushola, also known as Heritage, the LP Chairman in Alimosho, denounced the attack, calling it unprovoked and concerning, particularly in light of the upcoming general elections in 2027.
“What is most painful is that most of my members sustained varying degrees of wounds. This is in spite of the hoodlums going into our party secretariat in Alimosho and destroying our furniture and flags,” he said.
Olushola emphasised that Saturday’s event was only a symbolic ceremony to notify the public of their choice, clarifying that the defection itself had already occurred.
He claimed that almost every LP member in Alimosho, including the party’s leadership, had decided to relocate to the ADC.
Speaking as well, Mr. Moses Akujuobi, the party’s Alimosho Secretary, clarified that the police had previously put a stop to plans for an open defection ceremony due to a lack of official sanction.
He claimed that after contacting ACP Abaniwonda, the Area M Commander, the organisers were told that only the Commissioner of Police had the authority to approve political gatherings in the state.
“Incidentally, we could not reach the CP, but we informed the DSS, after which we went ahead since it wasn’t a rally but a quiet ceremony,” Akujuobi said.
He added that the situation became more tense upon arrival at the initial venue.
“When we got to the venue this morning, we were shocked to see police vans with heavily armed policemen. They informed us that we cannot hold the event and referred us to the police commissioner.
“While we were at it, the hoodlums besieged the place and began to beat people, leading to our deserting the venue,” he explained.
Akujuobi also added party officials subsequently contacted members by phone to proceed to the second venue in Egbeda, where the programme resumed briefly.
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“We, however, began to contact our members through phones to move to the second venue, which is the Eco Event Centre, and everyone witnessed what took place here.
“The hoodlums got wind of our second venue and equally attacked us, beating up our members again,” he added.
He pointed out that the Labour Party’s internal leadership issues and ongoing legal conflicts were the main reasons for the decision to join the ADC.
A number of police vans with armed officers are said to have arrived at the second site shortly after the thugs left.
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