Violence erupted during the All Progressives Congress House of Representatives primary election in the Ikotun area of Lagos State on Saturday, leaving one supporter dead and several others injured.
The incident occurred at a primary school in the Ile-Iwe area of Egbe, where party members had gathered for the APC primary election conducted nationwide for aspirants contesting legislative seats.
According to residents, the exercise had progressed peacefully before a disagreement allegedly broke out among rival supporters at the venue, resulting in chaos and panic.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said the argument quickly escalated into violence, forcing people to flee for safety as gunshots rang out.
“The primary was taking place at a school in the Ile-Iwe area when some supporters began arguing.
The situation suddenly became chaotic and people started running in different directions,” the source said.
He added that gunshots were later heard during the commotion, while one person was struck by a bullet and several others sustained injuries in the confusion.
Another resident, identified simply as Taofeek, said the violence disrupted activities around the community as delegates and party supporters scrambled for safety.
“We suddenly heard people shouting and running. At first, nobody understood what was happening.
After the gunshots, many people started jumping fences and hiding in nearby houses,” he said.
Taofeek disclosed that the injured victim was rushed away from the scene for medical attention but reportedly died on the way to the hospital.
“The victim was taken out immediately after he was shot, but we later heard he died before getting treatment. The whole area became tense afterwards,” he added.
A police source familiar with the incident told journalists that reinforcement teams were deployed to the venue after the violence broke out.
According to the source, the Divisional Police Officer and the Area Commander later intervened to restore calm in the area.
“The moment the violence started, additional officers were mobilised to the scene to prevent further breakdown of law and order,” the source said.
The police source, however, could not confirm whether any suspect had been arrested in connection with the shooting.
Efforts to get an official reaction from the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, were unsuccessful as calls and text messages sent to his line were not answered as of the time of filing this report.
Party officials had also yet to release an official statement on the incident.
Political and electoral violence has continued to pose a major challenge in Nigeria, especially during party primaries and elections, with clashes among rival groups frequently resulting in deaths, injuries and destruction of property.