• Beat, injure APC chairman, Adetimehin, other party leaders
• NDDC commissioner, lawmakers, others recount ordeal
• Allege Aiyedatiwa behind ‘deadly’ attack
• Governor not connected to the meeting, thuggery, says govt

Tensions within the Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) escalated into violent chaos yesterday, as a gang of hoodlums stormed the party’s secretariat in Akure, the state capital, during a stakeholders’ meeting, leaving the state Chairman, Ade Adetimehin, and several other party chieftains severely beaten and injured.

With the attack coming a day before the ward congresses in the state, the party leaders alleged that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa masterminded the violent disruption of the meeting, emphasising that the thugs openly declared that their mission was to enforce the governor’s will.

According to findings, the invaders, identified as members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), allegedly led by the union’s state Chairman, Ademola Odudu, stormed the venue with cutlasses and dangerous weapons, fired sporadic gunshots, and chased party leaders out of the hall.

The attack, however, left a long list of casualties, among whom are the state’s representative on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Otito Atikase; lawmaker representing Ilaje Constituency II, Abayomi Akinruntan and former Chairman of Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo Local Council, Dayo Akinsuroju, among others.

Adetimehin, while narrating his ordeal, described how he was thrown to the ground and violently assaulted.

He said that the meeting was convened at the request of the national congress committee that arrived from Abuja, stressing that he had personally informed Aiyedatiwa about the gathering and was assured of safety.

On his part, Atikase accused the governor of attempting to silence leaders of the party, stating that Aiyedatiwa should be held responsible if anything happens to him.

Reacting to the development, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, said that the governor was not connected to the meeting and could not have sanctioned any act of thuggery.
He said: “The assertion is described as false, misleading, and a calculated attempt to tarnish the reputation of the administration of Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa and the peaceful political climate currently enjoyed across Ondo State.

“Numerous political meetings and stakeholders’ consultations have been conducted peacefully across the state without any record of disruption.”