Lagos APC Senatorial primaries: Ex-Chairmanship aspirant escapes death as Ashafa, Osinowo’s supporters clash

Chief (Mrs.) Kemi Nelson flanked by two delegates from Lagos State at the 2018 All Progressives Congress National Convention at the Eagle Square, Abuja. Photo by Abayomi Adeshida

VIOLENCE, yesterday, erupted in parts of Kosofe Federal constituency of Lagos State during the primary election into the House of Representatives.

Cross section of supporters at the 2018 All Progressives Congress National Convention at the Eagle Square, Abuja. Photo by Abayomi Adeshida 23/06/2018

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

A former Chairmanship aspirant in Kosofe Local Government area, Mr. Ibrahim Mustapha, narrowly, escaped death, when suspected political thugs attacked him in Anthony Village.

Mustapha is said to be currently on admission at a private hospital, Life Fountain Hospital, Anthony, Lagos.

Mustapha was allegedly attacked by suspected political thugs.

Eyewitnesses informed Vanguard that the assailants, numbering five, swooped on him and allegedly inflicted deep machete cuts on his heads and other parts of his body.

Some of his supporters, who were with him, also sustained various degrees of injuries.

It was gathered that the attack on Mustapha occurred at Adebayo Mokuolu Street, Anthony Village, in Kosofe Local Government Area of the state.

Mustapha, a former councillor in Kosofe council, Lagos, was initially rushed to two nearby hospital and rejected before he was taken in at the Life Fountain hospital. The victim was reported stitched at several places on the head.

According to report, the suspected thugs chased Mustapha to a place where he could no longer escape and thugs started macheting him severally.

It took the intervention of passersby who carried his lifeless body to the hospital.

It was also alleged that the Area Commander, who was on ground to provide security APC for the primary election to chose the candidate for the House of Representatives in Kosofe, shielded the thugs who eventually escaped.

It was gathered that while Mustapha was being attended to some of the thugs came back to finish their un-done business.

It was at this point that one of them named Nokia was caught while trying to escape on a motorcycle.

He eventually escaped but he dropped his bag which contained matchetes and local guns.

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

Call your supporters to order, Ashafa warns Osinowo

Following the violence that broke out in Kosofe, the lawmaker representing Lagos East Senatorial District, Senator Gbenga Ashafa has warned Mr. Osinowo to call his supporters to order following violence unleashed on voters during the primary exercise.

Ashafa said: “A few persons were said to be injured while several others were threatened by the thugs. It is important we remind Honourable Bayo, that his ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian and should in that light, call his supporters to order.

“Thugs must never be allowed to disrupt any electoral process in our country and such people should be severely punished by the law.”

Opeifa concedes defeat to Yayi in Lagos West

Meanwhile, a Lagos West Senatorial aspirant on the APC platform, Mr Kayode Opeifa, who failed to scale the screening hurdle, said he had called the sole aspirant cleared, Sen. Solomon Olamilekan, in the interest of the party, to wish him well.

Opeifa, the Executive Secretary for Transportation, FCT Abuja, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at his residence in Lagos after the House of Representatives and Senate primaries in his Ward D, Agege LGA.

In a statement, the former Commissioner for Transport in Lagos State said: “We should continue to do whatever will deepen democracy.

“I did a lot of consultation (on my name not being cleared); the information I gathered was that there was need for the parry to take a decision, not that we were not qualified.

“It has to do with the interest of the party. As soon as I pulled out, I called Sen. Olamilekan Adeola to wish him well even before the process commenced. Everything is in the interest of the party.

“When you have issues on the interest of the party, the party doesn’t usually explain immediately. I am a party man; I understand that, I decided not to wait for the party to explain.

“If it is in the interest of the party, true or false, let me align with the party. Immediately at 10 am prompt, I sent message out to all my teeming supporters,”

According to NAN reports of the exercise at Opeifa’s Ward D at Orile-Agege, Agege LGA, hundreds of party faithful were on ground before 9am.

The exercise later commenced at about 12:30 pm under the watch of APC electoral officers, INEC official and security agents.

The party members with APC membership cards or slips were allowed to vote though Option A4 for both the House of Representatives and Senate primaries at the ward.

However, many of Opeifa’s supporters left the venue of the primary at Ward D in Agege in annoyance when they heard of his decision to step down his ambition to support his rival.

Mr Remi Okunola, one of the Party Electoral Officers, commended the conduct of party members at the centre, where an INEC official, Mrs Aderemi Awoniyi, was on ground to monitor the exercise.

The ward Chairman, Mr Musiliu Sanni, described the conduct of party members at the ward as excellent.