Police fire tear gas as rival party supporters clash in Osun

Tension broke out on Thursday in Ede, Osun State, when supporters of two political parties clashed at the Ede South Local Government Council office.

Security officers fired tear gas to stop the fight and disperse the crowd.

The incident happened during an event held at the council premises to mark the start of reconstruction work on the local government complex.

According to eyewitnesses, the problem started when supporters of the two parties argued over who had the authority to begin the reconstruction project.

The argument soon turned into a physical fight between the supporters.

A resident who saw the incident said the situation became tense when the groups began confronting each other near the council complex.

The person said the supporters were shouting at each other before the situation turned violent.

The reconstruction project is meant to replace a facility that was demolished earlier during a road expansion project.

The demolished building was an ultra-modern Mother and Child Complex located along Agip Road. It was removed to allow the construction of a dual carriage road.

The ceremony was organised by Elliot Adeyemi, who was recently reinstated as the chairman of the council under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

However, members of the Accord party opposed the event. They argued that Adeyemi does not have the legal authority to carry out the ceremony.

They insisted that Lukman Afolabi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is still the recognised chairman of Ede South Local Government because of earlier court disputes over the position.

Police officers eventually used tear gas to disperse the supporters and restore calm in the area.

Authorities are continuing to monitor the situation.