The political crisis in Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory has taken a disturbing turn after men identified as boys of Kuje Area Council Chairman Samuel Danjuma Shekwolo allegedly stormed an Accord Party youth gathering with cutlasses, chased participants away and smashed tables and chairs at the venue.
The incident occurred while the FCT Accord Party Youth Leader was addressing party youths during a political gathering in Kuje.
The meeting had barely commenced when the men reportedly arrived at the venue armed with cutlasses and began forcing participants to leave.
Video footage Obtained by ChroniclesReporters, from the incident shows the men moving into the gathering with machetes as members of the Accord Party youth group scrambled to escape.
Tables and chairs were also reportedly smashed as the meeting descended into chaos.
Participants described the incident as a violent disruption of their political gathering and a frightening display of intimidation against members of an opposition party.
The men involved were identified by participants as boys of Chairman Shekwolo, further fuelling controversy over the incident and its political implications.
The development has become particularly explosive because it occurred against the backdrop of the chairman’s earlier controversial “APC or leave Kuje” remarks.
FROM ‘APC OR LEAVE KUJE’ TO CUTLASSES
ChroniclesReporters had previously reported the controversy surrounding Chairman Shekwolo’s remarks in which he allegedly warned residents that they had to support the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) or leave Kuje.
The statement generated widespread concern among opposition supporters and rights advocates, who viewed it as an unacceptable attempt to tie residents’ right to remain in the area to their political allegiance.
The controversy also raised questions about political freedom, freedom of association and the right of citizens to support political parties of their choice.
Now, following the disruption of an Accord Party youth gathering by men identified as the chairman’s boys, the earlier remarks have returned to the centre of public attention.
The latest incident has transformed what was previously a controversy over political rhetoric into a confrontation involving armed men and an opposition political gathering.
For the Accord youths, the issue is no longer simply about words.
They were holding a political meeting when men carrying cutlasses allegedly stormed the venue, chased them away and smashed furniture.
The incident was captured on video.
ACCORD YOUTHS FLEE AS MEETING IS DISRUPTED
The footage from the gathering shows the tense moments as the men entered the venue carrying what appeared to be cutlasses.
Participants were forced to abandon the meeting as the men moved through the gathering.
The destruction of tables and chairs further demonstrated the level of disruption at the venue.
The incident has generated anger among opposition supporters, who are questioning how an ordinary political youth meeting could be disrupted by armed men.
It has also raised concerns over whether opposition parties can freely organise political activities in Kuje without fear of intimidation.
POLITICAL TENSION DEEPENS IN KUJE
The incident has intensified scrutiny of the political climate in Kuje, particularly following the chairman’s earlier remarks about political allegiance.
Political parties are entitled to organise meetings and mobilise supporters, while citizens have the right to belong to and support political parties of their choice.
The alleged attack on the Accord gathering therefore raises fundamental questions about political tolerance and democratic participation in the area council.
The development is coming at a time when political activities are gradually intensifying ahead of the 2027 general elections.
If opposition parties cannot safely hold meetings without being confronted by armed men, the implications for political participation and electoral competition could be serious.
SECURITY AGENCIES UNDER PRESSURE
The latest incident has placed security agencies under renewed pressure to investigate what happened at the meeting.
The video footage provides investigators with evidence from which the identities of the men involved can potentially be established.
Authorities must determine who the men are, why they stormed the Accord gathering, who mobilised them and who will be held responsible for the reported destruction of property.
They must also establish whether the incident was connected to the chairman’s earlier controversial remarks about residents supporting the APC or leaving Kuje.
If established that the attack was carried out as part of an attempt to enforce political allegiance, the incident would represent a deeply troubling escalation from political rhetoric to physical intimidation.
THE QUESTION FACING KUJE
The controversy now goes beyond the Accord Party.
It concerns every resident of Kuje who believes they have the right to support a political party of their choice.
The sequence is now raising uncomfortable questions.
An earlier “APC or leave Kuje” threat was reported by ChroniclesReporters.
An opposition youth meeting was subsequently disrupted.
Men identified as the chairman’s boys allegedly arrived with cutlasses.
Participants fled.
Tables and chairs were smashed.
And the incident was captured on video.
The question is therefore no longer simply about political disagreement.
It is about whether political power is being used to intimidate opposition supporters in Kuje.
WHAT WILL THE AUTHORITIES DO?
The security agencies now face a clear test.
Will they investigate the men captured in the video?
Will they establish who sent them and why they were armed?
Will they investigate the destruction of property?
Will they examine the connection between the incident and the chairman’s earlier “APC or leave Kuje” remarks?
And if anyone is found to have authorised or facilitated the attack, will the law be allowed to take its course regardless of political position?
Kuje belongs to all its residents—not to the APC, not to the Accord Party and not to any individual political office holder.
Citizens should not have to surrender their political choices to live peacefully in their communities.
As the 2027 elections draw closer, the latest incident has raised a disturbing question over the future of political freedom in Kuje:
Has the chairman’s controversial ‘APC or leave Kuje’ message now moved from words to the streets—with cutlasses allegedly being used to chase opposition youths out of their own political meeting?