Violence erupted during the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primaries in Ondo State on Monday, as gunshots rang out across multiple wards in the Ondo Central Senatorial District. Suspected political thugs stormed the venues, causing chaos and endangering lives.
The attackers, believed to be backers of a rival aspirant, targeted Ward 5 Okelisa on Amudipe Street in Akure, the state capital. There, they assaulted supporters of the incumbent senator, Adeniyi Adegbomire, who is also vying for the party’s ticket.
Adegbomire had a narrow escape after his vehicle was struck by gunfire. Security personnel swiftly whisked him away from the scene as bullets flew. The thugs fired indiscriminately into the air and also shot at the senator’s car, leaving visible bullet marks.
Journalists covering the event, pupils from Ebenezer Primary School, and local traders were forced to flee for safety as the gunfire intensified. The assailants also wielded machetes, attacking voters and disrupting the vote-counting process at the ward.
Speaking to reporters, Adegbomire condemned the incident, calling it a deliberate sabotage. He claimed that the process was leaning in his favor before the thugs intervened. According to him, his supporters were being counted, and he had around 360 backers, while the other aspirants had fewer. When it became evident that he was leading, the thugs invaded.
Adegbomire alleged that the thugs were deployed to prevent his supporters from accessing the polling stations. He reported that similar attacks were occurring across the senatorial district, with his supporters being turned away and told to go home if they weren’t voting for a particular candidate. He accused the opposition of using hired thugs to intimidate voters.