The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Engr. Ade Adetimehin, was on Tuesday allegedly assaulted by armed thugs who disrupted a stakeholders’ meeting at the party’s state secretariat.
The incident reportedly occurred during a scheduled meeting of party leaders and stakeholders, throwing the gathering into chaos as hoodlums stormed the venue and attacked attendees.
Eyewitnesses said the assailants arrived at the secretariat and began assaulting participants, forcing many to flee for safety. In the aftermath of the attack, Adetimehin was seen on the ground amid the confusion as supporters and other party members attempted to restore calm.
The attackers were also alleged to have seized the chairman’s mobile phones, accusing him of acting contrary to the directives of the Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
Speaking shortly after the incident, Adetimehin described the assault as brutal. “They beat the hell out of me,” he said.
He explained that the stakeholders’ meeting had been scheduled for February 17, 2026, adding that the governor had personally contacted him earlier to brief him on the development.
slyAccording to him, the APC National Secretariat, the Congress Committee and the Appeal Committee had jointly agreed that the meeting would proceed as planned.
“Suddenly, the thugs stormed the meeting, assaulted me and several others, and ordered us to vacate the venue. They kept saying that the governor owns the party and that nobody can challenge his authority,” Adetimehin alleged.
“We told them that we were not challenging the governor’s authority but were simply participating in a duly agreed stakeholders’ meeting. I was violently beaten, thrown to the ground, and my phones were seized and damaged. I have reported the incident to the state Commissioner of Police for a thorough investigation,” he added.
The development comes amid reported tensions within the Ondo APC over control of the party’s structure in the state.
Sources within the party allege an ongoing power struggle involving Governor Aiyedatiwa and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, although neither camp has issued an official statement on the latest incident.