A pre-congress stakeholders’ meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State was thrown into chaos on Tuesday after suspected thugs invaded the party secretariat in Akure, injuring several members and allegedly assaulting top party leaders.
The attack happened less than 24 hours before the ward congress scheduled to take place across the 203 wards in the state.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers arrived with dangerous weapons and caused panic at the venue. One witness, Yetunde Adeyanju, claimed the thugs openly declared they were acting in support of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, insisting the congress should not hold.
According to her, they threatened anyone who attempted to discuss the congress, warning that such persons would be assassinated.
Another eyewitness confirmed that several party leaders were beaten during the invasion, including the APC state chairman, Ade Adetimehin; a commissioner on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Otito Atikase; and former Commissioner for Sports, Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye.
The injured victims were reportedly rushed to different hospitals for treatment.
Speaking on the incident, Adetimehin alleged that the attack was sponsored to disrupt the meeting. He said the thugs arrived about 30 minutes after the meeting started, wielding cutlasses and other weapons.
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“They beat me and dragged me on the floor; they took away my two phones, money, and wristwatch,” he said.
However, the Commissioner for Information, Idowu Ajanaku, dismissed claims linking the governor to the incident, describing the allegations as false and misleading.
In a statement, he said the governor was not aware of the meeting and could not have approved any act of violence, adding that his administration does not support political intimidation.
Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abayomi Jimoh, confirmed the attack but said the situation had been brought under control.
He explained that officers were deployed immediately after receiving a distress call and that tactical teams had been stationed in the area, while investigations into the incident are ongoing.
