Lagosians groan as APC rally marred with violence, traffic lawlessness

THE residents of Lagos on Tuesday expressed displeasure over their nasty experiences following the official campaign flag-off of the gubernatorial candidate of All Progressive Congress (APC), Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

The event, though, took place at Skye Power Ground around Bishop Vinning area of GRA, Ikeja, the untold hardship and its effects were all over the metropolis. participants at the rally were said to have come from across the 20 local government areas of the state.

The residents did not only complain about the violent manner at which many of the party loyalists in branded attires conducted themselves on the road but that they didn’t also have regard for traffic rules and regulations as they moved in convoy, causing serious traffic logjam both along the major highways and the inner roads.

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Even the law enforcement agents on the road, especially officials from the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the police traffic warden were seeing to be helpless as they could not but only watch them and their actions.

Mr Johnson Laoye, a resident, told our correspondent that he took him over four and half hours to get to Oshodi from Abule-Egba which should have ordinarily on a usual busy day take him two hours.

“I almost abandoned my car on the road because of their recklessness. At a time, they (APC people), young and old, male and female, took to one-way and in the process blocked the coming vehicles and yet claiming to be doing the right thing,” he alleged. “Even many vehicles that seemed not to be that sound were parked somewhere because of over-heating for cooling.”

Another resident, who simply gave her name as Mummy Sefiu, said she had to pay double of the normal transport fare of N150 and spent over two hours from Agege Total to Oshodi (a distance of about six kilometres) just because of the strange traffic gridlock in most hours of the day.

“It was a nasty experience indeed. All corners of Lagos were filled with heavy traffic. It was not only vehicle owners that were affected. The motorcyclists popularly known as Okada riders as well as pedestrians were also had their own terrible experiences. Many people were stranded at bus stops. It was an experience I would never wish it repeats itself, ” she said.

However, our correspondent who was also trapped for hours in the traffic observed along Agege to Abule-Egba road en route Abattoir that the members of the party, many of whom in the branded National Union of Road Transport Workers logo were taking one-way from Market bus stop to Total bus stop to beat the traffic at their normal route.

While some in coaster buses and different types of cars and few of them branded with APC logo and President Buhari and Osibajo, Sanwo-Olu and Yayi photographs, some made use of motorcycles and clearing roads for themselves to pass while forcing the rightful owners of the route to a standstill.

Those on motorcycles in the process deliberately smatched the side mirror and windows of a commercial bus on the excuse that the driver of the bus wanted to prove right.