About eight persons were feared to have sustained varying degrees of injury following a clash between the supporters of two frontline governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the accreditation of delegates for the Saturday primary election of the party.
The supporters of Ukachukwu and Obiora Okonkwo traded blame over the incident, alleging that the other group initiated the violence at the Beautiful Gate Hotel in Agu Awka, Awka South Local Government Area.
Trouble began around 10:37 a.m. at the hotel gate, which was reportedly taken over by Ukachukwu’s private security operatives and suspected thugs, who, without support from security personnel at the venue, began preventing accredited delegates without Ukachukwu’s campaign identification from entering the venue.
However, one of Ukachukwu’s campaign officials, Bunty Onuigbo, dismissed the allegations, claiming that supporters of Obiora Okonkwo arrived in a crowd of thugs and began attacking Ukachukwu’s supporters, which led to the clash.
“It is not true what you’re saying. Everything was going on peacefully until the supporters of Obiora Okonkwo stormed here and began to attack everyone and disrupt the process,” he said.
On the other hand, one of Obiora Okonkwo’s campaign officials, who identified himself as Chukwuma, contended that the gate was barricaded, and only individuals carrying Ukachukwu-branded ID cards were allowed entry.
“Delegates supporting other aspirants were turned away, harassed, and in some cases, physically assaulted,” he said.
One male delegate, identified as Nduche from Ndiowu in Orumba North Local Government Area, was visibly rough-handled by the attackers in full view of security personnel and other delegates.
“This is a serious matter,” said one observer, who asked not to be named due to safety concerns.
“It’s not just thuggery anymore; there appears to be active collusion with security forces meant to protect us. The APC leadership must act decisively to ensure the safety of delegates and uphold the credibility of the process. This kind of thuggery cannot be allowed to go unchecked,” the observer said.
Valentine Oliobi, the Anambra State Publicity Secretary of the APC, confirmed the incident, saying, “Yes, it is true. Delegates are being stopped at the gate by Nicholas Ukachukwu’s people, and the police are cooperating with them. It is not what the party stands for.”
Speaking on behalf of Ozigbo, campaign spokesperson Ephraim Adiele decried what he called an attempt to “hijack the primary” through intimidation and force.
“We reject the politics of violence and call for a level playing field,” Adiele said. “Clearly, Nicholas Ukachukwu is seeking to hijack the primary. It cannot stand. The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) should act now to prevent a crisis.”
Reacting to the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, Tochikwu Ikenga, said that there had been no report on the matter before his office, adding that officers and men of the Command were properly briefed before being deployed to all venues of the primary elections.
“The Command, before the deployment of officers, properly briefed and educated them on the rules of engagement, and as I speak to you, there is no report yet before my office on the incident,” he explained.
