Aspirants’ Supporters Responsible for Ondo APC Secretariat Fracas, Says Aiyedatiwa

by Momodu Favour

Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, on Tuesday denied allegations that he sponsored thugs to disrupt a stakeholders’ meeting at the state secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akure.

The governor’s reaction followed a violent incident that reportedly occurred during a pre-ward congress meeting presided over by the state chairman of the APC, Ade Adetimehin, at the party’s secretariat.

According to reports, some armed men invaded the premises, causing panic and leaving several persons injured. Eyewitnesses alleged that the attackers beat up party officials, including the state chairman.

One eyewitness, Yetunde Adeyanju, had claimed that the assailants were acting on behalf of the governor an allegation Aiyedatiwa firmly dismissed.

Speaking at a meeting with the Ward Congress Committee at the party secretariat in Akure on Tuesday evening, the governor explained that the stakeholders’ meeting was initially scheduled for 10 a.m. but was later shifted to 2 p.m. to enable him attend.

Aiyedatiwa said he was alerted to security concerns around the secretariat before his arrival and immediately contacted the Commissioner of Police to ensure adequate security deployment.

“I got a call from one of them saying there were some problems around, or some miscreants around the party secretariat. I asked him to call the Commissioner of Police, and I also called the Commissioner of Police myself to ensure the place was protected because I was going to attend the meeting.

I asked that security operatives be deployed to protect the place.

“Later, I got to know that some miscreants who had sympathy for one aspirant or the other, those who are contesting for one position or the other, were moving around and trying to create some kind of fracas among themselves, which led to some disturbance.

“The police assured that they would be able to protect everybody, and they were deployed. In fact, the secretariat was secured by the police before we arrived for the stakeholders’ meeting,” he said.

The governor maintained that the disturbance was caused by supporters of different aspirants contesting party positions and not by individuals acting on his instructions.

He urged party members to remain calm and united as the ward congress approaches, stressing the need for peaceful conduct and internal cohesion within the party.

In her remarks, Chairman of the Ward Congress Committee in the state, Chief Margaret Araruenu, expressed confidence that the congress would be conducted peacefully, noting that adequate arrangements had been put in place to ensure a smooth exercise.

Another eyewitness had earlier claimed that several party leaders, including 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, were beaten during the fracas. Those injured were reportedly taken to hospitals for treatment.

As of the time of filing this report, the state police command had not issued an official statement detailing arrests or further actions in connection with the incident.