JUST IN: 2 Feared Dead, Scores Injured As APC Primary Turns Bloody

The All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries for the forthcoming local government election in Lagos State turned bloody in parts of the state on Saturday with two people allegedly killed in Surulere Local Government Area.

Several people were also injured in many local government areas, including Shomolu, Alimosho, Ejigbo, among others when thugs disrupted the exercise.

Daily Trust reports that there has been tension in the state over the primary election for the 57 chairmanship candidates and 377 councillorship candidates of the ruling party.

Some party members are alleging imposition of candidates by party leaders.

In Surulere, it was gathered that suspected political thugs and cultists had a free day during the exercise leading to attacks on electoral officials.

Also, returning officers were attacked in Shomolu Local Government Area and Itire-Ikate LCDA by suspected thugs who stormed the venues of the primaries with guns and cutlasses.

The situation was the same in Ejigbo and Isolo local government areas where some ward elections were reportedly cancelled due to violence.

The State Secretariat of the APC at Acme Road has been barricaded with scores of armed policemen deployed to the secretariat as results from the local government areas started trickling in.

The fortification of the Secretariat, it was learnt, was to forestall any attack on it by aggrieved supporters of some aspirants in the state.

All vehicles passing through Acme Road are being turned back by policemen while only those on the primary election duty for the party were being allowed into the Secretariat.

Details later

Daily Trust