Violence yesterday marred the federal House of Representatives primaries in Bayelsa State as armed youths suspected to be political thugs invaded the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) secretariat with the intention to hijack election materials.

During the crisis, the state commissioner of police, Mr. Valentine NtomChukwu, was said to have narrowly escaped being lynched by the youths.

Not even the sporadic gun shots from policemen attached to the secretariat of the PDP could stop the youths as they held hostage members of the electoral committee of the party deployed to the state for the conduct of the primaries.

Members of the PDP election committee were held hostage for several hours at the PDP Secretariat. They included the chairman of the team, Gen. Idi Adamu, Yeye Bola Dare, Barr. Zanna Mustapha, Hon. Alaye Don Pedro, and Barr.John Idoko.

It was gathered that the suspected armed thugs arrived the PDP secretariat in a white Siena space wagon around 2pm and armed with dangerous weapons including guns, holding everybody hostage for hours.

“It was fearful. All of us, including the State Working Committee and members of the party were trapped inside the secretariat”, an eyewitness stated.

The armed youths were also said to put up a stop-and-search barricade at the entrance of the secretariat, apparently searching for the voting materials meant for the congress, “they also searched the bags of some female journalists that tried to leave the premises of the secretariat.”

While the Col.Sam Inokoba (retd) led State Working Committee were thrown into confusion, passers-by and commuters along the D.S.P Alameisegha way, the location of the State Secretariat scampered for safety.

It took the combined team of armed mobile policemen and soldiers to overpower the thugs.

It was further gathered that the Gen. Idi Adamu-led election committee, who had earlier addressed the journalists to witness the distribution of the election materials, reportedly reversed himself and suspended the conduct of the primaries into the five federal constituencies of the state due to perceived security threats.

From Newswatch Times