A grassroots mobilisation event at Alesa Eleme organised by members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Young Women Forum in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, was on Friday violently dispersed by suspected hired political goons causing pandemonium as the participants ran for their dear lives.
Newsata.com.ng gathered that the event was underway when the assailants stormed the venue and unleashed mayhem on the gathering, pulling down canopies, smashing chairs and throwing down loudspeakers causing the participants to flee.
According to eyewitnesses, the invaders alleged that the organisers did not obtain prior approval for the event as political activities required clearance from the appropriate authorities, ostensibly the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
But condemning the attack, the National Coordinator of the ADC Young Women’s Forum, Atosemi Oma-Uwame, described it as a calculated attempt to intimidate opposition voices and suppress democratic participation.
Oma-Uwame explained that the meeting was not a campaign rally but a forum to inaugurate and mobilise young women within the party structure in Eleme.
According to her, “We gathered to organise ourselves as young women in politics, not for any campaign. Yet, thugs led by a ward councillor disrupted the event and insisted we could not hold a meeting under the ADC platform”.
She claimed that that she had received prior warnings not to host any political gathering in the area using the ADC identity.
Contending that the disruption reflected a broader climate of intolerance against opposition parties, Oma-Uwame feared that such actions undermine democratic norms and political inclusion.
She emphasised that “The forum is designed to encourage women’s participation in politics and promote balance within the party”, stressing that “Acts like this are meant to silence that progress”.