The All Progressives Congress, APC, senatorial primary election in Kaura Namoda, Zamfara State, was disrupted on Monday following attacks by suspected political thugs at two polling centres.
The suspected thugs reportedly stormed Namoda Model Primary School and the Galadima Dangaladima Ward polling unit, located in front of the Emir’s Palace, sending voters and residents fleeing for safety.
The attacks, which sparked panic in the affected areas, forced voters to abandon the polling centres.
In a related incident, some suspected political thugs also engaged in a physical confrontation among themselves, leaving one person seriously injured.
The disruption occurred as voters awaited officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, who had yet to arrive at the polling centres as of 11:30 a.m.
The primary election is particularly significant as the two major senatorial aspirants, incumbent Senator Sahabi Ya’u Kaura and Senator Tijjani Yahaya Kaura, belong to opposing political camps within the party.
While Sahabi Ya’u Kaura is aligned with the camp of the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, Tijjani Yahaya Kaura is backed by the camp of Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council; both aspirants hail from Galadima Dangaladima Ward in Kaura Namoda metropolis.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Kaura Namoda Local Government Area, Mannir Muhammad Haidara, escaped an attempted lynching after suspected thugs attacked his vehicle at Namoda Model Primary School.
The attackers allegedly damaged parts of the vehicle during the incident.