Activities marking the defection of members of the Labour Party (LP) in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) were disrupted by violence on Saturday after unidentified hoodlums invaded the venue.
The event, jointly organized by the LP and ADC to formally announce the movement of party members, was initially scheduled to take place at the LP secretariat in Idimu. However, proceedings were thrown into chaos when more than 100 suspected thugs reportedly stormed the premises, forcing party leaders and supporters to flee.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers, some armed with knives, canes, and other dangerous objects, assaulted people at the venue while chanting hostile slogans that LP and ADC were not welcome in Lagos State. Several party members sustained injuries, and party property, including furniture and flags, was vandalized.
Following the attack, organizers relocated the program to the Eco Centre Event Hall in Egbeda in an attempt to continue the ceremony.
Reacting to the incident, the LP Chairman in Alimosho, Mr. Olanrewaju Olushola, also known as Heritage, condemned the attack, describing it as unprovoked and disturbing, especially with the 2027 general elections approaching.
“What is most painful is that many of my members sustained varying degrees of injuries. The hoodlums also invaded our secretariat and destroyed our furniture and flags,” Olushola said.
He explained that the defection had already been concluded earlier, noting that Saturday’s gathering was only meant to symbolically inform the public. According to him, nearly all LP members in Alimosho, including the party’s leadership structure, had agreed to move to the ADC.
Also speaking, the LP Secretary in Alimosho, Mr. Moses Akujuobi, said an earlier plan to hold an open defection ceremony was halted by the police due to the absence of formal approval.
Akujuobi stated that the organizers contacted the Area M Commander, ACP Abaniwonda, who informed them that only the Commissioner of Police could approve political events in the state.
“We couldn’t reach the Commissioner of Police, but we informed the DSS and proceeded since it was not a rally but a quiet ceremony,” he said.
He added that tension escalated on arrival at the first venue when police vans with heavily armed officers were sighted, and organizers were told the event could not be held.
“While discussions were ongoing, hoodlums besieged the place and started beating people, forcing us to leave the venue,” Akujuobi said.
According to him, party members were later contacted by phone to move to the second venue in Egbeda, where the program resumed briefly before hoodlums again attacked attendees.
“The hoodlums discovered our second venue and attacked us again, beating our members,” he added.
Akujuobi said the defection to the ADC was driven by internal leadership crises and prolonged legal disputes within the Labour Party.
It was gathered that shortly after the attackers left the second venue, several police vans carrying armed officers arrived at the location.
