Funke Akindele, a Nollywood actress and PDP deputy governorship candidate in Lagos State, was chased out of the Ikosi fruit market by suspected thugs while campaigning on Tuesday.
In an interview with NAN, the PDP governorship candidate, Abdul-Azeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, confirmed that their campaign was cut short due to the incident.
During a meeting with the chief Imam of Ketu Central Mosque, Jandor confirmed that a member of the security team had been stabbed, and that others, including journalists, had been injured.
He did, however, confirm that the actress left the campaign train while the team continued to move around the council’s streets.
Jandor cried out in October 2022 about similar incidents that had occurred repeatedly in various local government areas since he began his tour of 245 wards.
PDP laments
In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, PDP Lagos spokesperson Hakeem Amode claimed that the local government chairperson sent hoodlums to disrupt their campaign.
“Usually when we go to the market, Funke Akindele goes to the market to speak with the Market women, and we know it is our right to be able to talk freely, a campaign to anybody,” he said.
He claimed that the Ikosi LCDA Chairperson, Abolanle Bada, sent thugs to intimidate them.
“The local government chairperson came into the market, used her car to block and bring a bunch of thugs to attack us in Kosofe local government, which is very, very sad; it is unbelievable we are not allowed to speak to people freely,” he said.
“Under the new electoral act, we are free to campaign anywhere; this is Lagos, where we should be able to talk to everybody without intimidation or discrimination. That should never happen,” he added.
He also claimed that this was not the first time it had happened.
More than just hoodlums, Mr Hakeem revealed that intimidation has reached the point of harassment during market campaigns.
“Those we gave our campaign materials to, they have gone to evict them from their house and ask them not to come to the market; they came crying to our campaign offices. These are market women who paid for the market stalls they use.”
“Why should we descend to this level of harassment and intimidation of our members? Even market ladies.”
He stated once more that they had been attacked in other markets.
Mr Hakeem claimed that the team had no choice but to retreat and join him in Jandor, where he was campaigning, in order to prevent the situation from escalating further.
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