Lagos reps primaries: Hoodlums chase away voters with guns, machetes

L-R: Osinowo, Ashafa, Bush Alebiosu and Agunsoye

Violence and pandemonium broke out in parts of Kosofe Federal Constituency of Lagos State during the primary election into the House of Representative, Abuja on Thursday morning.

Hoodlums stormed polling units across the constituency to unleash mayhem on would be voters, chasing them out of the voting area with machetes and guns.

A former House of Representatives member, Dayo Bush Alebiosu and the incumbent, Rotimi Agunsoye are the two contenders in the primary election for House of Reps.

The mayhem occurred majorly at Ward F in Ikosi-Isheri where political thugs said to be loyal to Hon. Bayo Oshinowo, popularly known as ‘Pepper’ scared voters by displaying dangerous weapons before chasing them away from the polling points.

Oshinowo is contesting the Lagos East Senatorial ticket with Senator Gbenga Ashafa, but reports have it that he has been disqualified from participating in the elections by the screening committee from Abuja, leaving only the incumbent in the race.

It was, however, disturbing to most of the voters present who saw his supporters with Hausa thugs from Mile 12 disrupting the exercise with dangerous weapons, people had to scamper to safety to avoid been caught in the violence.

It was also reported that the election which was initially scheduled for a particular place had to be taken to another place on Ekiti Street, said to be the stronghold of one of the contestants for the House of Reps, Agunsoye.

One of the voters named Monsuru Adebiyi who spoke to our reporter lamented how fully-loaded buses, about 17 of them, brought thugs who were majorly from the northern extraction to the particular ward, disallowing anyone who displayed their sign to go in and vote.

Adebiyi said, “We were told that Pepper has been disqualified, but we were alarmed to see how thugs here are shouting his name telling anyone who cared to listen that it’s either him (Pepper) or nobody. In fact the thugs at a point over-powered the security agents on ground.”

Our correspondent gathered that same scenario played out in a particular voting area in Anthony and Agboyi Ketu where one of the voters was macheted before security agents were brought in to rescue him from being hacked to death.

There has also been general report of no accreditation and voting in most of the polling centres across the constituency.

(PM News)