There is tension in Epe on Tuesday morning as residents trooped out en masse to vote in the APC governorship primaries in Lagos state.
Recalls that incumbent Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode who is seeking the APC ticket hails from the Epe Local Government Area of Lagos.
Ambode is jostling for the ticket with Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
NAN reports that APC members in Epe were at their various wards to participate in the direct primary election as scheduled by the party in Lagos state in several wards visited early in the day.
Voting and accreditation had yet to begin as at when NAN visited some centres at about 10.35 a.m, but members hanged out at the polling unit/wards.
Some of the wards for the voting exercise include Recreation Centre, Poka Primary School, Ikosi-Ejirin, Ogunmodede, Ibonwon, Odo-giri amongl others.
Also, security operatives have been positioned in every nook and cranny of Epe to ensure peaceful voting exercise.
In some parts of Alimosho Local Government, NAN correspondent who monitored the exercise at Ward 9, Parakoyi, Ipaja-Ayobo in the council observed that hundreds of party faithful had been on ground before 9 a.m.
NAN also reports that the accreditation of party members with party membership cards commenced at exactly 9: 35 am.
NAN reporter observed that the exercise began under the watch of an official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), electoral committee and security agents.
However, Mrs Adenike Olusanya, a party agent for incumbent Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode told NAN that a lot of Ambode’s supporters were not accredited because they possessed only membership slip.
Olusanya who frowned at the alleged disenfranchisement, said that the primary election could not stand.
“Many of our members are outside, not allowed in, this cannot stand. This is no election at all,” she said.
However, the voting process of the primary was disrupted for a while at Ward G North, Abesan in Alimosho, as thugs chased away voters.
NAN reports that the thugs numbering about 15 invaded the Abesan High School, venue of the exercise around 9.45 ,flogging voters , preventing them from being accredited.
The motive of the hoodlums as well as their sponsors could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report.
Some policemen at the venue later responded to the situation by arresting some of the hoodlums , restoring normalcy.
NAN however observed that there was large turnout of party members waiting to cast their votes for either Gov.Akinwunmi Ambode or Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
