The fight took place at the Ondo State High Court Complex, Akure, the venue of the Ondo State Election Petitions Tribunal. Some of the supporters were injured, SaharaReporters has gathered.
There was chaos at the High Court Road, Akure, the Ondo State capital, as the supporters of the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party engaged in a free-for-all on Tuesday.
The fight took place at the Ondo State High Court Complex, Akure, the venue of the Ondo State Election Petitions Tribunal. Some of the supporters were injured, SaharaReporters has gathered.
According to an eyewitness, the residents and the shop owners in the area had to run for safety as the political supporters were fighting each other, using dangerous weapons.
It was gathered that, for almost an hour, there was no vehicular movement in the area as a result of the crisis.
Thugs suspected to belong to the National Union of Road Transport Workers and some politicians on Tuesday invaded the ongoing Ondo State governorship Election Petition tribunal sitting at the State High Court in Akure in an attempt to disrupt the process.
The thugs, who stormed the court at precisely 9.30 am, brandished dangerous weapons and reportedly beat up some of the people in the sitting.
The NURTW State Chairman, Jacob Adebo, popularly known as "Idajo" led the hoodlums who stormed the courts with bottles, cutlasses, cudgel, axes among other weapons.
Mr Sunday Oladunmoye, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party and driver to one of the counsels of the PDP, Barrister Sola Oke, was brutalised by the suspected thugs.
Oke is one of the counsels to the PDP governorship candidate and petitioner, Eyitayo Jegede.
Jegede, who was represented by the PDP State Chairman, Fatai Adams, in had dragged the incumbent Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, before the tribunal over the October 10 governorship election which he alleged was fraudulent.
The rampaging transport union also attacked some people attempting to gain entry into the premises of the court, who came to catch a glimpse of the ongoing case.
SaharaReporters learnt that combined security operatives were later mobilised to the venue of the ongoing sitting, after calls for reinforcement saved the situation from escalating.
The security agencies - policemen, soldiers, civil defence - waded off the thugs, thwarting the plan to cause mayhem on the court premises.
The High Court complex was immediately cordoned off with a radius of about 100 metres.
Speaking after his attack, Oladunmoye, who was stabbed on the chin, said the thugs injured him with broken bottles.
"I was going to buy a telephone recharge card when someone beckoned on me. I told him I wanted to buy something.
"But suddenly, someone tapped me on the shoulder, and as I tried to look back, some people descended on me.
"One of them broke a bottle and stabbed me in the face. They are members of NURTW who are supporters of the APC."