Journalists were on Wednesday reportedly thrown out of the venue of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Lagos State House of Assembly primary election at Akinhanmi Cole, Ward E/E1, Obele Oniwala Mini-Stadium, Michael Ogun Street, Surulere, by party officials and security agents.
The media personnel, who arrived at about 9:15am, observed that verification of party members was ongoing at the venue, while officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were not present. An APC official involved in the exercise said INEC officials were expected to arrive by 10am.
However, by 11am, INEC officials were still absent from the venue, even as party activities continued. During the process, aspirant Barakat Odunuga-Bakare arrived with her security detail and supporters, drawing attention from journalists covering the exercise.
Tension escalated when police officers and APC officials challenged journalists over their accreditation tags, insisting those without tags would not be allowed access. Despite presenting their media credentials, the journalists were allegedly asked to leave on the grounds that their tags lacked photographs.
The situation reportedly turned confrontational as journalists were pushed out of the venue by APC officials and security operatives, with attempts to present further identification unsuccessful. At the time of filing this report, journalists remained barred from accessing the venue, which was heavily secured.
