KEY POINTS

• Governor Aiyedatiwa denied ordering an attack on APC leaders, saying he was at a birthday event during the incident.

• Party chairman Ade Adetimehin accused transport union members of carrying out the assault.

• The violence highlights growing factional tensions within the party ahead of congresses.

Lucky Aiyedatiwa, governor of Ondo State, has firmly denied accusations that he ordered thugs to attack members of the All Progressives Congress during a stakeholders’ meeting at the party secretariat in Akure.

The incident, which disrupted preparations for ward congresses, left party leaders injured and triggered tensions within the state chapter.

According to reports, suspected hoodlums stormed the venue armed with sticks and machetes, assaulting attendees and forcing many to flee. Among those attacked was Ade Adetimehin, the party’s caretaker chairman, who was reportedly beaten and had his phone seized. The chaos halted deliberations and deepened internal divisions ahead of party congresses.

Accusations and counterclaims

Following the attack, Adetimehin alleged that members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers carried out the assault on the governor’s orders. The claim heightened political tension, as it suggested possible involvement of influential figures aligned with rival aspirants within the party.

Aiyedatiwa dismissed the allegations, insisting he had no involvement in the incident. He explained that he had approved the stakeholders’ meeting but requested it be scheduled for later in the day because he and other party leaders were attending a 50th birthday celebration of a cabinet member at the time violence erupted. According to him, the unrest was instead caused by clashes between rival political groups loyal to different aspirants.

The attack is widely viewed as a sign of deepening factional rivalry within the state party structure. Observers say internal competition for influence ahead of ward and local government congresses often heightens tensions, particularly when factions suspect manipulation or exclusion from decision-making processes.