Chaos erupted on Friday at the 8th National Convention of the All Progressives Congress as delegates and journalists were blocked from entering Eagle Square.
Security operatives, stationed at key points leading to the venue, reportedly fired tear gas at delegates and journalists struggling to gain access.
Several journalists were denied entry tags, leaving them stranded outside.
Mallam Auwal Umar, a delegate, said one of his colleagues fainted after being affected by the tear gas, while a journalist who identified herself as Seyi described the accreditation process as “extremely frustrating.”
A security official, speaking anonymously, stated that officers were instructed to prevent entry to anyone without proper tags and claimed tear gas was deployed only when crowds became overwhelming.
The convention is expected to ratify the re-election of 30 members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), with approximately 8,453 delegates in attendance.
Delegates and journalists at the scene condemned what they described as poor planning by the organisers, raising questions about access and crowd management at one of Nigeria’s most high-profile political events.
