Several cars were smashed in Lafia, yesterday, when APC and PDP supporters clashed at a ceremony to inaugurate local government officials elected on Saturday.
The state electoral commission had on Sunday declared that APC won six chairmanship seats against PDP’s four while results from three councils were declared inconclusive
The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the violence broke out at the gate of Nasarawa Government House, venue of the inauguration, when supporters of both parties, chanting slogans of their candidates, started pelting stones at each other.
Although no serious casualty was recorded, more than 10 vehicles were smashed before police officers dispersed the youths using tear gas canisters.
Reacting to the skirmishes in a brief speech to swear in the officials, Gov. Umaru Al-Makura called for peace among the people irrespective of their political differences.
He said: “I wish to thank all the stakeholders who contributed in one way or the other to ensure the election was hitch free. I urge both the losers and the winners to embrace themselves, see each other as brothers and work together to ensure that people at the grassroots feel the positive impacts of democracy.
“We can only grow and develop in a peaceful environment,” he declared.
Meanwhile, the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, yesterday, during its emergency sitting summoned the NASIEC Chairman, Abdullahi Modibo, to appear before it to explain why some returning officers in some local governments failed to carry out their duties but NASIEC went ahead to announce election results from such places.
