Several Nigerians Killed in Stampede at Presidential Campaign Rally (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Several were killed in a stampede at Nigerian Presidential campaign rally just days ahead of a general election on Tuesday.
The president "has just been informed of the tragic deaths of several members of his All Progressives Congress (APC) party in a stampede during a presidential rally held in Port Harcourt in Rivers State," Muhammadu Buhari’s office said in a statement released late Tuesday.
Local media said panic broke out at the end of the gathering, held inside the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, when crowds tried to force their way through a locked exit, Daily Mail reported.
The incident claimed at least 14 lives, according to a spokesman for the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital.
Saturday's election in Africa's most populous country will see Buhari stand for a second four-year term against former vice-president Atiku Abubakar in what is expected to be a close race.
In recent weeks, tensions have risen between the APC and Abubakar's People's Democratic Party (PDP).
The PDP has accused the government of seeking to rig the vote while the APC has said the opposition party is fomenting unrest.
Nigeria's last election in 2015 was considered free and fair, but state and local elections as well as earlier presidential polls have been marred by violence and fraud allegations.
