- Ondo APC Chairman Beaten As Thugs Disrupt Pre Congress Meeting
- State chairman, others beaten as thugs invade secretariat.
- Police restore calm, investigation into incident ongoing
A pre congress stakeholders meeting of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State turned violent on Tuesday after suspected thugs stormed the party secretariat in Akure, leaving several people injured, including the state chairman and a commissioner.
The incident occurred less than 24 hours before the party’s nationwide ward congress scheduled to hold across the 203 wards in the state.
EDITOR’S PICKS
- Health Workers Warn as Antivenom Gaps Undermine Snakebite Treatment
- Tinubu Approves ₦40bn Zero-Interest Loans for University Lecturers, Staff
- 5 Health Risks Men Face After Age 40
EKO HOT BLOG reports that an eyewitness, Yetunde Adeyanju, said the attackers arrived armed with dangerous weapons and declared they were acting on behalf of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
According to her, they shouted, “We don’t want congress in Ondo State. The governor is in charge. The governor is the leader of the state, and the governor is in charge.
“Nobody can query the authority of the governor, and anybody who wants to talk about congress in Ondo State will be assassinated. If you talk about congress in Ondo State, you will be assassinated.”
Another eyewitness said several party leaders were assaulted during the chaos. Those reportedly beaten included the state chairman, Mr Ade Adetimehin, a commissioner on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Mr Otito Atikase, and a former Commissioner for Sports, Mr Saka Yusuf Ogunleye. The injured were taken to hospitals for treatment.
Adetimehin confirmed the attack and alleged that the thugs were sponsored to disrupt the meeting.
“Thirty minutes later, the place was invaded by thugs, with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons. They beat all leaders and members, except those who are for them.
“They beat me and dragged me on the floor; they took away my two phones, money, and wristwatch,” he said.
The Commissioner for Information, Mr Idowu Ajanaku, denied any involvement of the governor, describing the allegation as “unfounded, false and misleading.”
“The governor was neither aware of nor connected to the said meeting and could not have sanctioned any act of thuggery. His leadership reflects a strong aversion to violence and political intimidation in any form,” he said in a statement.
Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Abayomi Jimoh, said officers responded promptly after receiving a distress call.
“The police command received a distress call, and we immediately swung into action, deploying operatives to the APC state secretariat.
“Efforts of these operatives restored calmness to the area,” he said, adding that tactical teams had been deployed and investigations were ongoing.
