‘It’s game on,’ Funso Doherty reacts to attack on Obi’s Lagos Town Hall

By Tolulope Oke

The Lagos State governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Funso Doherty, has declared that Thursday’s violent attack on the party’s town hall meeting in Lagos has demonstrated that political enthusiasm among Nigerians remains strong ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Doherty, speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, said the determination of party supporters to resist the attackers showed that Nigerians had not lost the political enthusiasm witnessed during the 2023 elections.

He maintained that democracy ultimately belonged to the people, stressing that the incident should send a message to those who believed public interest in political participation had declined.

“What people should take away from this is that, at the end of the day, politics and democracy is about the people,” Doherty said.

“To those who might think that, following 2023, people have lost some of that energy, some of that fire, I think, if anything, today should let us know that it is game on.”

The governorship candidate was reacting to an attack by suspected political thugs on a town hall meeting organised by the NDC at the Classique Event Centre in Oregun, Lagos.

The gathering was scheduled to feature the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, alongside other party leaders and supporters.

However, the event was thrown into confusion when suspected thugs reportedly stormed the venue, attacking participants and damaging vehicles.

Narrating what happened, Doherty said party members had gathered peacefully for the meeting when the attackers invaded the premises.

“We also are trying to make full sense of it. What we know is that we gathered for a peaceful town hall to host Mr Peter Obi,” he explained.

He said the attackers unleashed violence in an attempt to disrupt preparations for the programme but were eventually forced to retreat following resistance from those at the venue.

“But the people were determined to do what they wanted to do,” Doherty said.

Asked whether he knew who was responsible for the attack, the NDC governorship candidate said he could not identify the perpetrators.

However, he suggested that those behind the incident might have political interests opposed to the party’s growing activities.

“Well, I can’t tell you that I know who they are, but certainly, they are not supporters of NDC,” he said.

“They must be those who oppose the progress that NDC is making, and they must also be people who have political interest.”

The incident occurred around 11 a.m. on Thursday when suspected thugs, reportedly armed with cutlasses, sticks and other weapons, invaded the venue.

Some participants fled for safety as the violence erupted, while others reportedly fought back and forced the attackers away from the gathering.

Several vehicles were damaged during the confrontation, which also disrupted movement along Kudirat Abiola Way.

The identities of those responsible for the attack have yet to be conclusively established.

Despite the disruption, NDC supporters subsequently resumed political activities at the venue following the restoration of calm.