Protesters and supporters of Nasiru Ladan, the Director-General of the Amalgamated All Progressives Congress (APC) Support Group (AASG), clashed at the All Progressives Congress (APC) national secretariat on Friday.
According to one eyewitness, the fight was between party supporters opposed to Nasiru, whom they accused of running a one-man show and his loyalists.
The supporters had earlier arrived at the party’s secretariat in the early hours of Friday morning for a peaceful protest against Ladan’s leadership style.
However, tensions between the group and DG loyalists quickly erupted, sending visitors and staff fleeing for safety.
It resulted in a fight in which both parties brandished dangerous weapons.
To calm the situation, security agents on the ground had to disperse approximately 60 teargas canisters.
According to a witness:
The protest was against the DG of the Almagamated APC Support Groups. The peaceful protesters that first arrived at the secretariat in the early hours accused him of “eating alone” without carrying others along. They had wanted to register their disappointment over Ladan’s leadership style before the party’s national leadership and end it there.
But, before you could say Jack Robinson, the DG, and his loyalists mobilized other boys to counter the peaceful protest. And [in] the twinkle of an eye, everywhere became rowdy forcing few of us to scamper for safety.
Several canisters of teargas were used to disperse them and restore sanity to the secretariat. It was a scary situation really.