Violence erupted during the local government congress organised by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aligned with Nyesom Wike in Oyo State, as suspected hoodlums attacked party members and damaged property across several venues.
The congress, held on Saturday, was disrupted in Ibadan, particularly in the Ibadan North Local Government Area, where party members reportedly came under attack at the Bodija area.
According to a member of the faction, Julius Adekunle, the attackers targeted several venues where the congress was scheduled to take place.
Adekunle alleged that the coordinated nature of the attacks suggested they were carefully planned.
“It was clearly a planned attack because the hoodlums stormed many of the venues across the state where our congress was holding,” he said.
He explained that reports from various locations, including Ogbomoso North, Ibarapa Central, Akinyele, and Ibadan North local government areas indicated that several members of the faction were assaulted during the disruption.
According to him, no fewer than 10 members of the group were attacked during the incidents.
Adekunle also said the hoodlums vandalised vehicles and other property belonging to party members at the affected venues.
He further alleged that the attackers invaded the residence of a party leader, Hazeem Gbolarunmi, located in Bodija, where property worth millions of naira was reportedly destroyed.
Reacting to the development, the faction’s state chairman, Abdulrahman Akinoso, confirmed the attacks and expressed concern over the violence that marred the congress.
Akinoso described the situation as chaotic and condemned the disruption of the party’s internal process.
He called on security agencies to investigate the incident thoroughly and ensure that those responsible are identified and brought to justice.
The PDP faction maintained that the violence undermined democratic processes within political parties and urged authorities to take steps to prevent further incidents during political activities in the state.
