A pre-congress stakeholders’ meeting of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State turned violent on Tuesday, when suspected thugs stormed the party secretariat in Akure, injuring many people and beating the state chairman and a commissioner.

The incident occurred less than 24 hours before the state’s 203 wards held their annual ward congress.

Yetunde Adeyanju, an eyewitness, reported that the attackers, armed with dangerous weapons, shouted that they were from Aiyedatiwa and declared, “We don’t want congress in Ondo State.” The governor is in charge. The governor is the state’s leader and the person in charge. “Nobody can query the authority of the governor, and anybody who wants to talk about congress in Ondo State will be assassinated. If you talk about congress in Ondo State, you will be assassinated.”

Another eyewitness confirmed that several party leaders, including the state chairman, Mr Ade Adetimehin, a commissioner on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Mr Otito Atikase, and former Commissioner for Sports, Mr Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye, had been beaten. The injured were rushed to hospitals for treatment.

Adetimehin confirmed the attack, claiming that the thugs were sponsored to disrupt the meeting.

“Thirty minutes later, the place was invaded by thugs, with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons. They beat all leaders and members, except those who are for them. “They beat me and dragged me on the floor; they took away my two phones, money, and wristwatch,” he said.

The Commissioner for Information, Mr Idowu Ajanaku, denied the governor’s involvement, calling the allegation “unfounded, false, and misleading.”

In a statement, he stated, “The governor was not aware of or connected to the said meeting and could not have sanctioned any act of thuggery. His leadership demonstrates a strong opposition to violence and political intimidation in any form.”

Mr Abayomi Jimoh, the state Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed the incident and stated that the situation was under control.

“The police command received a distress call, and we immediately swung into action, deploying operatives to the APC state secretariat. “Efforts of these operatives restored calmness to the area,” he said, adding that tactical teams had been deployed and investigations were ongoing.