Thugs Invade Ondo APC Stakeholders Meeting, Injure Chairman, Adetimehin

By Ayodele Oni

Armed thugs stormed a stakeholders’ meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Ondo state on Tuesday, forcing party members to flee in panic and abruptly halting the gathering.

The incident occurred at the APC secretariat in Akure, where party leaders, and party officials had assembled for what was described as a routine stakeholders’ meeting.

Eyewitnesses said the attackers, believed to be young men armed with sticks, machetes and other crude weapons, invaded the premises suddenly, shouting and threatening participants.

Attendees reportedly scattered in different directions to escape the violence, while the meeting venue was abandoned within minutes.

Several party officials and supporters were said to have taken cover in nearby buildings, while others fled the area entirely.

One of those that sustained injuries during the fracas, Ade Adetimehin, who is the state chairman of APC, explained that the thugs were led by a leader of the National Union of Road Transport Workers,(NURTW).

Adetimehin stated that the meeting was a regular one called to address some urgent issues before the forthcoming state congress, saying it was not called to endorse any leader.

Narating his ordeal, the chairman stated that “I was slapped severally and pushed down by the thugs that invaded the venue of the meeting.”

Also in a post on his Facebook, member representing Ondo on the board of the Nigeria Delta Development Commission, (NDDC(, Otito Atikase cried out that if anything happened to him, Governor Aiyedatiwa should be held responsible.

Atikase is one of the admirers of the interior Minister.

There has been crisis within the APC in the state over disagreement on the actual leader of the party between Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and the Minister of interior, Tunji Ojo.

Loyalists of two of them have always cause tension in gatherings being attended by them, despite the position within the party that the governor is the leader of the party in states.

The minister and the governor have formed two parallel groups, campaigning for the second term bid of President Bola Tinubu.

What is clear, however, is that the disruption reflects growing tension within the APC in Ondo State.

The party has experienced internal disagreements over leadership structure, candidate selection and factional loyalties in recent political cycles.

Though Tuesday’s incident has not yet been officially linked to any specific faction, insiders say the meeting was called to address sensitive political issues, including internal alignments ahead of future party activities.

The sudden invasion therefore raised suspicions that the disruption may have been politically motivated, though authorities have not confirmed this