Police avert bloody clash between Ladoja, Ajimobi’s supporters

Some supporters of former governor of Oyo State and gubernatorial candidate of the Accord Party in the 2015 general elections, Rashidi Ladoja, and the incumbent Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, clashed yesterday. The clash between the supporters of Ladoja and Ajimobi took place outside the premises of the Magistrate Court, Iyaganku in Ibadan, where the governorship election petition tribunal for the state has been sitting. But for the quick intervention of police the clash would have been bloody. Ladoja had petitioned the tribunal to upturn the electoral victory of Ajimobi, joining the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants.

The supporters had stormed the premises of the Magistrate Court with a view to witnessing the ongoing pre-hearing session at the tribunal.

The security agents that guarded the court prevented many of the supporters of the two parties from entering the court premises and dispersed the crowd with tear-gas. The supporters, however, came back to the scene few minutes later, behaving themselves.

The teeming supporters of both parties, who were prevented from entering the court premises, formed two opposing camps and sang abusive songs against each other. One camp was provoked and this led to the clash.

Immediately the clash broke out, many of the traders by the roadside quickly closed their shops to avoid being attacked by the warring camps.