Tear Gas Deployed to Control Crowds of APC Delegates and Journalists at Convention

Numerous delegates and reporters were unable to gain access to Eagle Square on Friday, where the 8th National Convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is taking place.

Many journalists found themselves without entry tags, resulting in their exclusion from the venue.

Heavily armed security personnel were positioned at key points leading to the square, and some resorted to deploying tear gas against delegates and journalists attempting to enter.

Delegates and reporters voiced their dissatisfaction over what they termed as inadequate organizing by the event coordinators.

Mallam Auwal Umar, a delegate, mentioned that one of their peers collapsed after being exposed to tear gas.

A journalist, who identified herself as Seyi, recounted her failed attempts along with her colleagues to secure accreditation tags from the party’s Media and Publicity Committee.

She raised concerns about the unnecessarily challenging access to such a significant event for both journalists and delegates.

According to reports, at around 5:30 PM, many delegates were still outside, waiting for entry into the venue.

A security personnel on-site indicated that they had stringent directives not to admit anyone lacking a tag.

Regarding the use of tear gas, the anonymous officer claimed that it was employed when they felt overwhelmed by the gathering crowd.

Reports by Daily Trust indicate that approximately 8,453 delegates are anticipated to confirm the re-election of 30 members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) during the convention.

As of the latest updates, delegates remained in anticipation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's arrival, who is expected to officially commence the convention.