Violence erupted during the All Progressives Congress, APC, senatorial primaries in Ondo Central Senatorial District on Monday after suspected political thugs invaded some voting centres and opened fire.
The incident occurred at Ward 5, Okelisa area of Akure, the Ondo State capital, where supporters of the senator representing the district, Adeniyi Adegbomire, were reportedly attacked during the exercise.
Adegbomire, who is seeking the APC senatorial ticket, narrowly escaped harm after gunmen allegedly shot at his vehicle while security personnel hurriedly evacuated him from the venue.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers fired several gunshots into the air, causing panic among party members, journalists, traders, and pupils of a nearby primary school, who all fled for safety.
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The hoodlums were also said to have wielded machetes while disrupting the counting process and intimidating voters at the ward.
Speaking after the incident, Adegbomire accused political opponents of deliberately sabotaging the primary election, claiming the exercise had been favouring him before the attack occurred.
According to him, the violence began when party officials started counting supporters lined up behind the various aspirants contesting the ticket.
He alleged that once it became obvious he had a strong lead over other contenders, suspected thugs stormed the venue, attacked his supporters, and disrupted the process.
The senator further claimed that similar incidents were reported in other parts of the senatorial district, alleging that some voters were threatened and prevented from participating unless they supported a particular aspirant.
The APC had yet to officially comment on the violence as of the time of filing the report.
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