Thugs break into Ondo APC Secretariat, Injure Chairman, NDDC Commissioner, Others

Hoodlums suspected to be members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), on Tuesday, invaded the secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State.

Engr Ade Adetimehin, Chairman of the APC in the state, and officials of the party sustained injuries in the melee.

Others injured during the fracas were the member representing the state on the board of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Hon Otito Atikase, former lawmaker, Hon Success Torhukerhojo, former Deputy Speaker, Hon Abayomi Akinruntan, driver of the chairman, Friday Ogbaide, former chairman of Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo local government, Hon Dayo Akinsuroju and former Commissioner, Hon Saka-Yusuf Ogunleye.

The crisis began when the thugs reportedly stormed a stakeholders’ meeting of the APC, forcing party members to flee in panic and abruptly halting the gathering.

Party officials had assembled for what was described as a routine stakeholders’ meeting.

Eyewitnesses said the attackers, 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.

Residents near the secretariat described scenes of confusion as party members rushed out of the premises. Some vehicles reportedly sped off as attendees attempted to leave the area before the situation escalated further.

Reacting to his attack, Adetimehin said the stakeholders meeting was to prepare the ground for the Ward Congress of the party which begins on Wednesday.

He said he had met with the members of the Congress Committee sent from Abuja to oversee the Congress. He said one of the conditions was for a stakeholders meeting which was disrupted by hoodlums.

The APC chairman said he was thrown to the ground and beaten severely by the hoodlums, whom he identified as NURTW members.

“They came in force this morning and ordered everybody to leave. They claimed the governor owns the party. We told them we were not challenging anybody’s authority, but they attacked us. They dragged me to the floor, I didn’t bother, they took away my two phones from my pocket, along with my wristwatch.”

“All they are saying is that they will kill and they were shooting periodically, many of our members are in the hospital for treatment. When they knew they could not harm me, they went for my driver and beat him seriously. A lot of people were wounded. The demand they were making when they came was that they didn’t want Congress.”

Former Commissioners who escaped from the scene, Mrs. Yetunde Adeyanju and Yusuf-Ogunleye said the hoodlums led by the Chairman of NURTW, Mr. Ademola Odudu, were sponsored by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

Adeyanju said, “I was there. I saw everything that happened. I went there to attend the meeting. But to our surprise, thugs came and they were shouting, we are from Aiyedatiwa. They specifically mentioned Aiyeatiwa. That Aiyeatiwa sent us.

“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.”

A chieftain of the party who escaped attack, Asiwaju Muyiwa Asagunla said the governor and his handlers should not drag the state backwards when political thugs were used to settle scores.

“I pray this government in power, led by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa won’t take us back to Egypt. I was there physically, upstairs at the Secretariat. We got there, sat down, and some hoodlums led by the leadership of NURTW. About 200 of them. They just moved in. Everybody inside the hall, get out! We don’t want to hold any congress there, we don’t want to see anybody here. The governor has said that there’s not going to be congress.

“Get out! Get out! So, everybody, the elderly, young, everybody started running.  In fact, you need to see the way they were banging chairs, hitting people with chairs. Somebody like Chief Bode Sumonu almost fell. I had to pull him back because they were almost trampling on him. I had to pull him up. Somebody like Chief Demola Ijabiyi, the cap that he wore, that one went somewhere else. So, people were beaten blue and black.

“I have never seen this in the politics of Ondo State. And it is a dangerous dimension. What they are bringing to Ondo State politics is a dangerous dimension. It is not part of our culture, where party leaders will sit down, stakeholders will sit down to hold meetings for the progress of the party, and someone somewhere will go and organize thugs to come and beat them up.

“It is very shocking, the way they embarrassed the chairman of the party today. In fact, you will weep if you were there.”

Daily Trust saw some short videos of the incident trending online.

In one of the footages, the APC Chairman kept shouting, ”They beat me mercilessly today.”

The governor’s team had not reacted to the development as of the time of filing this report.

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