Ondo APC violence during ward congress leaves two dead, several injured; elders call for intervention and swift investigation

The ongoing ward congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State turned violent on Wednesday, leaving two people dead and several others injured in Idanre Local Government Area.

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The incident followed attacks on the APC Secretariat in Akure on Tuesday, where political thugs disrupted a stakeholders meeting presided over by the state chairman, Engr. Ade Adetimehin. Several party leaders were assaulted, and 15 elders sustained injuries.

Reports indicated that the congress in some wards of Idanre could not hold after suspected hoodlums attacked party members. Vehicles were reportedly set ablaze during the crisis.

One of the victims, Raphael Adetimehin, the brother of the APC chairman, was shot and hacked with a machete while his vehicle was burnt.

The chairman confirmed the attack, explaining that the assailants had mistaken his brother for him.

“After shooting and stabbing him, they left him when they thought he was dead. I don’t know why we are taking politics to this extent,” Adetimehin said.

A statement from the Ondo State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, confirmed the deaths of two people and injuries to three others.

The attack occurred around 11 am. A combined team of police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps operatives, led by the Commissioner of Police and the State Commandant of the NSCDC, CC Oluyemi Ibiloye, restored peace in the area.

Jimoh added that investigations were ongoing to apprehend those responsible. Additional tactical teams have been deployed to secure Idanre and prevent further violence.

Ondo State APC elders under the PBAT Mandate Elders Forum condemned both Tuesday and Wednesday’s attacks.

In a statement signed by its chairman, Pa Erastus Akeju, the forum described the violence as a violation of democratic principles, party discipline, and the rule of law.

Akeju called on President Bola Tinubu and APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda to intervene, emphasising the need for accountability, sanctions, and clear directives to reinforce discipline and security across party structures nationwide.

“Intimidation, thuggery, and physical violence have no place in politics. The APC was built by ideas, dialogue, and the collective will of Nigerians who believe in democratic governance,” the statement read.

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The elders warned that silence or indifference in the face of such brutality could embolden impunity and invite further chaos, asserting that the attacks were not only assaults on individuals but on the integrity of the All Progressives Congress itself.