A violent disruption of a Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) town hall meeting in Ikeja, Lagos State, has triggered a war of words between the opposition party and the All Progressives Congress (APC), with both sides exchanging accusations over the incident.
While the NDC accused the ruling party of promoting political violence and attempting to intimidate opposition supporters ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Lagos APC dismissed the allegation, challenging the opposition party to address its internal problems.
Trouble started on Thursday when suspected political thugs, armed with cutlasses, cudgels and stones, invaded the venue of the NDC gathering in Ikeja, scattering chairs and forcing participants to flee.
The attackers reportedly clashed with some NDC supporters who resisted the invasion by throwing chairs at them.
Some of the supporters subsequently pursued the fleeing assailants and apprehended one of them at a nearby car park.
A video of the incident showed several young men surrounding the apprehended suspect and repeatedly hitting him with sticks.
Violence later spread to Kudirat Abiola Way, where the confrontation disrupted traffic.
Police officers reportedly fired shots into the air to disperse the crowd and restore order.
Reacting to the attack, NDC National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, described the incident as unfortunate and unwarranted, accusing the APC of encouraging what he called barbaric politics.
In an interview with The PUNCH, Director alleged that the ruling party’s approach to political competition posed a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
He said, “The attacks perpetrated against our members in Lagos State are unfortunate and unwarranted. The hard-earned, ruinous APC is planning to destroy our hard-earned democracy by their desperation and demonic politics of barbarism.”
Similarly, NDC Campaign Council spokesperson, Dr Constance Ikokwu, condemned the attack, describing it as an assault on democracy and citizens’ fundamental right to political association.
Ikokwu argued that no political party had the right to use violence or intimidation to prevent Nigerians from participating in the political process.
She called on security agencies to investigate the incident, arrest those responsible and prosecute anyone found culpable.
The NDC spokesperson also urged Nigerians to participate actively in the 2027 elections, insisting that the party and its supporters would not be intimidated into abandoning their democratic rights.
However, the Lagos APC rejected allegations linking it to the violence.
Former Lagos APC spokesman, Seye Oladejo, said the accusation was being made on a day the party was conducting its campaign in Epe, arguing that its leaders and key stakeholders were occupied with the exercise.
Oladejo noted that the Lagos State governor, party members and candidates were among those attending the campaign, adding that Epe was far from Ikeja.
He dismissed suggestions of APC involvement and advised the NDC to investigate its internal affairs rather than blame the ruling party for its challenges.
According to him, the opposition party should stop attributing every difficulty it encounters to the APC and concentrate on strengthening its own political structure.
“There is nothing to prove that the APC is involved in this. So, they should look inward at the enemies within their party,” he said.
The exchange has added another dimension to concerns about political security as parties intensify activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.
