Protesting members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Yewa Senatorial District in Ogun State, on Thursday, clashed with security operatives at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja.
The protesters numbering over 200 are joint members of APC and Yewa Collective Action Movement, but staging the protest under the aegis of Masses Against Electoral Fraud, challenged what they called “irregularities which produced Dapo Abiodun as the governorship candidate of APC in Ogun State.”
The protesters had gathered as early as 8:30am, displaying anti-APC placards at Abuja INEC office with inscriptions such as “INEC must disqualify Dapo Abiodun” and “Security agencies should investigate Dapo Abiodun,” with the spokesperson of the group, Mr Ishola Adeshina, his address, said, “the emergence of Dapo Abiodun is a fraud.”
The aggrieved APC protesters though barred by security operatives from matching around INEC office in protest, claimed they were on a legitimate mission, but were blocked from blocking access roads to the electoral body headquarters office.
It was a tension-soaked moment at the INEC office, even that the Police and Department of the State Service (DSS) operatives had to threaten the protesters of shooting if they refuse to disperse, the agitated party men insisted on gaining access to INEC national authorities to register their protest.
After a stiff resistance by security operatives, the protesters left for the APC secretariat after registering their grievances at the INEC headquarters office.