Wednesday, February 18 2026 - Suspected thugs assaulted the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Engr Ade Adetimehin, and other officials of the party.
The thugs invaded the party's secretariat in Akure on
Tuesday, February 17, 2026, Daily Trust reports.
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," he narrated.
“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.”
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.”
In one of the footages from the incident, 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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