A truce meeting called by the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Monday 25th July ended in chaos as suspected political hirelings from Lagos Mainland reportedly took over the venue of the stakeholders’ meeting, at the party secretariat on Acme Road, Ogba.
Chieftains of the party were reportedly harassed by the hirelings, and many stopped from accessing the meeting room.
Also, some of the party leaders were allegedly assaulted, though there was no official confirmation. The suspected political thugs were allegedly from two contending factions of the party from the Mainland, with a retiring member of the House of Representatives (name withheld) said to be the leader of one of the groups.
Furthermore, the party spokesperson, Honourable Seye Oladejo, did not pick up phone calls when newsmen attempted to contact him.
However, a party chieftain confirmed to newsmen that he was also harassed at the meeting venue.
The chieftain who is a candidate for office in the 2023 election, said he was stopped from driving his car into the party secretariat and some suspected thugs stopped him from accessing the meeting room.
The meeting was reportedly called to close fissures caused by the primaries of the party. The meeting was called by the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), for noon on Monday.
However, the disruption caused by the hirelings, frustrated the agenda and the deputy governor of the state, Dr Femi Hamzat, had to make an appearance along the line, to calm frayed nerves
Another prominent party leader, Honourable Fouad Oki, also addressed the gathering, according to a source present at the meeting.
The meeting was later rescheduled, without a definite date.
The state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was absent at the meeting, is to now chair the rechecked parley.
The leader of the party in Lagos Central Senatorial District, Prince Tajudeen Olusi, has also been mandated to intervene and resolve the lingering crisis