Tension erupted at a pre-congress stakeholders’ meeting of the Ondo State APC on Tuesday when suspected armed thugs stormed the party secretariat in Akure, assaulting State Chairman Engr. Ade Adetimehin and several other party officials, less than 24 hours ahead of the scheduled ward congress.
The meeting, held at the party’s secretariat in Akure, was convened following the arrival of a 13-member congress committee from Abuja. According to Adetimehin, the committee had directed that a stakeholders’ meeting be held ahead of the ward congress across the state’s 203 wards.
He said the hall was already filled to capacity when, about 30 minutes after he reportedly alerted Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa about rumours of mobilisation against the meeting, armed men invaded the premises.
“They were shouting my name as they entered the hall. They beat me blue-black and dragged me on the floor from the conference hall to the ground floor,” Adetimehin alleged.
The chairman claimed his two mobile phones, wristwatch and N210,000 cash were forcibly taken during the assault, adding that his driver was beaten into a coma while trying to rescue him and later resuscitated at a private hospital.
According to him, the attackers were armed with guns and cutlasses and were shooting intermittently, while demanding that no congress should hold in the state.
“They said they would kill. Many of our members are in hospital. When they couldn’t harm me further, they went after my driver,” he said.
Several other party leaders were reportedly attacked, including Otito Atikase, the state representative on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC); Ademola Ijabiyi; Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye; Olumuyiwa Asagunla; Rasheed Badmus; and Yetunde Adeyanju, among others.
Atikase alleged that the attackers were loyal to the governor, claiming he was the first casualty when he confronted them at the staircase.
“They wanted to throw me from the top floor. They warned that my money had been paid and they would come for me,” he said, adding that if anything happened to him, the governor should be held responsible.
Hon. Ademola Ijabiyi, who reportedly sustained a fracture, said he narrowly escaped by disguising himself as an aide assisting an injured elderly man, but was later attacked from behind.
Describing the incident as “total mayhem,” party chieftain Olumuyiwa Asagunla claimed about 200 hoodlums invaded the secretariat, dragging the chairman and threatening to destroy the office where he sought refuge.
Former Commissioner for Community Development and Cooperative Services, Yetunde Adeyanju, also alleged that the attackers openly mentioned Governor Aiyedatiwa’s name and insisted no congress would take place in Ondo State.
“They said the governor is in charge and nobody can query his authority. They threatened that anyone who talks about congress will be assassinated,” she alleged.
However, the Ondo State Government swiftly denied any involvement.
In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, the government described the allegations as malicious and politically motivated.
The statement said Governor Aiyedatiwa was neither aware of nor connected to the meeting and could not have sanctioned any act of thuggery, stressing that his administration maintains zero tolerance for political violence.
The state chapter of the APC also described the disruption as an isolated incident unrelated to the forthcoming congress. In a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Steve Otaloro, the party said preliminary findings suggested the disturbance stemmed from an internal misunderstanding exacerbated by a few unscrupulous elements.
Otaloro added that the party had begun an internal review to establish the facts and appreciated the governor for directing security personnel to restore order, assuring members that the congress would be peaceful and credible.
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The Ondo State Police Command confirmed receiving a distress call and deploying officers to the scene.
Police spokesperson DSP Jimoh Abayomi said operatives restored calm, adding that one injured person had been taken to hospital and tactical teams were deployed to secure the secretariat while investigations continue.
The incident has heightened internal tensions within the ruling party in Ondo State, casting a shadow over the ward congress expected to shape the party’s grassroots leadership structure.
