Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has denied orchestrating the violent disruption of a stakeholders’ meeting by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, attributing the chaos to unaffiliated miscreants. His denial follows allegations from injured party chieftains that the governor sponsored the attack.
The incident occurred on Tuesday at the APC state secretariat in Akure, the state capital. According to party sources, hoodlums, reportedly linked to the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), stormed the venue, beating and injuring the state party chairman, Ade Adetimehin, alongside other senior members. The injured are currently hospitalized. Following the assault, some of the victims accused Governor Aiyedatiwa of deploying the thugs to scuttle the meeting, which was convened amid internal party tensions.
Governor Aiyedatiwa, however, provided a conflicting account. He stated that the gathering was not a formally sanctioned party stakeholders’ meeting but an impromptu assembly of rival factions contesting recent ward and local government congresses. He emphasized that his administration remains committed to due process and harbors no animosity toward the congresses. “Normally, we have stakeholders’ meetings, and as the governor, I am always in attendance,” Aiyedatiwa said. “This one was an impromptu stakeholders’ meeting because of the congresses.”
The governor explained that he had requested the initial 10 a.m. meeting be rescheduled to 2 p.m. to accommodate his attendance, along with the Speaker and Deputy Governor. He said he learned of the presence of “miscreants” near the secretariat and immediately contacted the state Commissioner of Police, urging the deployment of security to the location. “I asked that security operatives be deployed to protect the place because I was going to attend the meeting,” he added.
Aiyedatiwa further clarified that his focus was on a parallel, officially recognised stakeholders’ meeting with national APC congress committees, which he led later that day. He characterised the earlier gathering as a clash between opposing supporter groups rather than an authorised party event.
The violence underscores the intense factional disputes within Ondo’s APC following the recent internal elections. These disputes have raised concerns about the party’s cohesion ahead of future electoral cycles. While the governor has distanced himself from the incident, the attack on the state party chairman highlights the volatile nature of the intra-party rivalry. Police have yet to make public statements regarding investigations into the assault or the identities of the assailants.
The episode reflects broader challenges of managing internal democracy and dissent within Nigeria’s major political parties, where control over grassroots congresses often triggers fierce conflicts. The outcome of this internal rift could influence the APC’s strategy and unity in Ondo State, a key political battleground.
