The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council has condemned the attack on supporters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) during a town hall meeting in Lagos state, calling on security agencies to arrest and prosecute those responsible.
The attack occurred on Thursday at the Classique Event Centre in the Oregun area of Lagos, where hoodlums, armed with cutlasses, cudgels and stones invaded the venue and disrupted the gathering.
In a statement on Thursday, Dele Alake, spokesperson of the APC presidential campaign council, condemned the incident and other reported attacks on political gatherings across the country.
“We have observed the recent spate of violent attacks at political gatherings in parts of the country. The reported attacks in Edo, Cross River, and Gombe, and other violence targeted at party supporters and political leaders across party lines are condemnable,” the statement reads.
“Our campaign strongly condemns the disruption of today’s scheduled town hall meeting of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Lagos.”
Alake urged political parties, politicians and their supporters to exercise restraint and avoid actions capable of triggering public disorder as campaigns ahead of the 2027 elections gather momentum.
He also called on security agencies to step up their efforts to prevent political violence and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
“We call on the security agencies to be more responsive and alert in preventing political violence of any type and ensure instigators and perpetrators are apprehended and punished in accordance with the law,” he added.
The APC campaign council spokesperson also urged political parties and candidates to focus their campaigns on issues that would improve the lives of Nigerians rather than inciting violence at political events.
The attack disrupted the NDC town hall meeting in Oregun, where supporters of Peter Obi, the party’s presidential candidate, and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, his running mate, had gathered.
The hoodlums invaded the venue around 11am, forcing participants to flee for safety.
According to reports, a multimedia journalist with TheCable was also attacked during the incident, with the assailants allegedly beating him and taking his camera, gimbal and microphone.
Police operatives arrived at the scene about an hour after the violence began and fired tear gas canisters to restore order.
