The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC PCC), the Nigeria Democratic Congress(NDC), and the House of Representatives yesterday condemned political violence at campaign events.
While the APC and the NDC called for a halt to such activities, the House of Representatives launched a probe into political violence.
There have been violate related incident at political events in some parts of the country involving all the leading political parties.
Yesterday, there was a at the Oregun, Ikeja venue of a town hall meeting by the NDC.
In its condemnation of the violence the APC PCC referred to recent incidents in Edo, Cross River, and Gombe states and yesterday’s incident in Lagos.
The APC called for the arrest of the perpetrators.
The council, in a statement yesterday by its spokesman Dele Alake, absolved the ruling APC of blame in any of the violent attacks on opposition party members and their supporters.
Lagos State chapter of the APC also yesterday denied sponsoring the attack, which the NDC and its presidential candidate. Peter Obi flayed.
During its plenary in Abuja, the House of Representatives resolved to investigate the rising cases of violence, attacks and disruption of political activities across the country.
The NDC town hall attack
Suspected thugs, armed with cutlasses, cudgels and stones, invaded the Oregun venue of the meeting while preparations were ongoing to receive the party’s Presidential candidate Peter Obi and his running mate Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Some supporters of the NDC sustained injuries, while some vehicles were vandalised. A journalist was also assaulted and his recording equipment allegedly stolen.
The confrontation later spilled onto Kudirat Abiola Way, disrupting traffic before police operatives arrived and fired tear gas to disperse the irate youths.
The incident occurred before Obi’s and Kwankwaso’s arrival.
APC-PCC calls for caution
Expressing concern that the wave of attacks ”could create needless crisis and public disorder,’ the APC-PCC called on ”candidates and party leaders to shift focus away from confrontation” and ”campaign on issues.”
It also urged security agencies ”to be more responsive and alert in preventing political violence of any type” in the country.
The statement by Alake reads in part: ‘We have observed the recent spate of violent attacks at political gatherings in parts of the country. The reported attacks in Edo, Cross River, and Gombe, and other violence targeted at party supporters and political leaders across party lines are condemnable.
‘As we proceed with the electioneering campaign, political parties, politicians, and supporters must restrain themselves and avoid acts that could create needless crisis and public disorder.
.’Political parties and candidates are enjoined to campaign on issues that uplift the lives of Nigerians and not to instigate violence at political events.
‘We also call on the security agencies to be more responsive and alert in preventing political violence of any type and ensure instigators and perpetrators are apprehended and punished in accordance with the law.”
State APC denies involvement
Publicity Secretary of Lagos APC, Oluseye Oladejo, described allegations of the ruling party’s involvement in the violence as baseless.
Oladejo accused the NDC of attempting to shift responsibility for the incident by blaming the APC without presenting credible evidence.
He said in a statement that it was curious that the incident occurred the same day the APC held the official kick-off of its 2027 campaign in Epe, several kilometres away from Oregun.
According to him, APC leaders, elected representatives, executives, campaign officials and other stakeholders in the state were mobilised to Epe for the campaign take-off.
He argued that it was inconceivable that the party would abandon its own political engagement to concern itself with the activities of an opposition party.
NDC demands arrest of perpetrators
In a statement by the spokesperson of its National Campaign Council, Chiogo Ikokwu, the NDC expressed sympathy with those injured in the attack and wished them a speedy recovery.