There was tension on Saturday at Polling Unit 027, Yaya Abatan, Ogba, in the Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State, as aggrieved loyalists of the All Progressives Congress (APC) assaulted a Labour Party (LP) agent, Spencer Dominic, during the local government elections.
Naijaonpoint reports that the incident occurred shortly before APC chairmanship candidate, Usman Akanbi Hamzat, arrived at the polling unit to cast his vote.
Trouble reportedly started when the LP agent positioned himself behind electoral officials, allegedly to observe and confirm voter identities.
According to eyewitnesses who spoke with Daily Trust, some APC supporters objected to his presence at that spot and ordered him to move. When he resisted, they pounced on him, dragged him, and slapped him in full view of security operatives, who reportedly stood by and took no action.
The scuffle was later de-escalated by concerned individuals who intervened to restore order at the unit.
Speaking after the attack, Spencer Dominic told Daily Trust that he was merely trying to uphold electoral integrity.
He explained, “I stayed behind the electoral officers, watching the people coming to vote to confirm their voter cards. When the chairman came and asked me to leave the place, I said no, that I needed to view the voter cards of the people.
“Then, the APC people started beating me.”
In defence of the incident, a chieftain of the APC, Gbenga Adebowale, accused the LP agent of violating polling unit protocol.
Adebowale said, “The chairman of the council is the existing chairman, and by virtue of that, if he wants to join the queue, nobody should question him.
“You, as an agent, are now asking him for his voter card? That is unacceptable. There are rules guiding agent conduct, you are not supposed to be behind the electoral officers. That position can incite trouble.”
The election across Lagos State was generally marked by low voter turnout, with many polling units witnessing sparse participation