A pre-congress stakeholders’ meeting of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State descended into chaos on Tuesday after suspected thugs stormed the party’s state secretariat in Akure, assaulting several leaders, including the state chairman.
The violence erupted less than 24 hours before the party’s ward congress scheduled to take place across the state’s 203 wards.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers, armed with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons, forcefully disrupted the meeting. One of them, Yetunde Adeyanju, alleged that the group openly declared opposition to the planned congress, insisting that the governor was in charge of party affairs in the state.
According to her, the assailants threatened anyone who supported the conduct of the congress, creating panic among party members gathered at the secretariat.
Several top party figures were reportedly injured in the attack, including the state chairman, Ade Adetimehin; a member of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Otito Atikase; and a former Commissioner for Sports, Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye. The victims were said to have been rushed to nearby hospitals for medical attention.
Adetimehin confirmed that he was assaulted during the incident. He alleged that the thugs invaded the venue about 30 minutes into the meeting and attacked party leaders and members.
“They beat me and dragged me on the floor. They also took my two phones, money and wristwatch,” he said, claiming the disruption was sponsored to destabilise the gathering.
However, the Ondo State Commissioner for Information, Idowu Ajanaku, dismissed allegations linking the governor to the violence. In a statement, he described the claims as unfounded and misleading, stressing that the governor neither authorised nor had prior knowledge of the meeting.
He maintained that the governor does not condone political violence or intimidation in any form.
Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Abayomi Jimoh, said officers responded swiftly after receiving a distress call. He noted that operatives were deployed to the APC secretariat, restoring calm to the area.
Jimoh added that tactical teams remain on the ground while investigations into the attack are ongoing.
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