Over 20 unidentified political thugs on Wednesday stormed the Labour House beside the state High Court Complex in Ilorin, Kwara State to disrupt a political function organised by the Social Democratic Party, SDP.

Members of a faction of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the state, were holding a press conference when the thugs invaded the labour house.

The political thugs forced their way into the Labour House owned by the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and descended heavily on the conveners of the meeting.

The factional chairman of the SDP in the Ifelodun local government area of the state, Elder James Olajide, was manhandled, his cloth torn, his cap seized and dragged on the bare floor by the thugs.

The angry thugs kept shouting at the man, “Baba Ifelodun, why did you take money from AA to disrupt our party”.

The thugs also rough handled, abducted and chased away an elderly man who was walking with the aid of a stick.

The Publicity Secretary of a faction of the SDP, Kareem Akanbi, had on Tuesday, announced the suspension of eight members from the party, signalling a leadership crisis within the party.

The conveners of the Wednesday meeting included some of the people that were suspended for alleged anti-party activities.

Before the disruption of the press conference at the Labour House, the factional chairman of the SDP (original), Ibrahim Yahaya, had alleged plans by some former members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who recently joined the party, to hijack it from the pioneer executives of the party.

“It is no longer news that a faction of the All Progressives Congress party in Kwara State (APC Loyal) formally applied to join our party, the SDP vide a letter to SDP National Secretariat dated 9th March 2022 by a reply letter dated 11th March 2022.

“The national secretariat of the SDP acknowledged the APC Loyal letter and their intention to join the SDP in Kwara State with a promise to work on a harmonization arrangement on how their interests will be accommodated.”

He said while the original SDP members in Kwara State under his leadership were waiting for further directives from the national secretariat, “we were shocked to hear about a purported state congress of Kwara SDP held on 26th April 2022 which was stage-managed by the Kwara APC Loyal group in collaboration with some officials of the SDP national secretariat.

“The sole aim of the kangaroo state congress election of SDP on 26th April 2022, was to hijack the party (SDP) from the original members of the party who had worked tirelessly to bring the party to its enviable position in Kwara State.

“The said congress was held in contravention of the SDP constitution. Also, the original members of Kwara SDP were denied participation in the said congress contrary to the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.

The embattled factional chairman informed that he had protested the said purported state congress of Kwara SDP held on 26th April 2022 at the Kwara APC Loyal group to the National Secretariat of the party.

“Also, we have instructed our team of lawyers who have since swung into action to challenge in the law court the legality of the purported state congress of the Kwara SDP held on 26th April 2022,” Yahaya stated.