APC Ward Congress Violence Claims Two Lives in Ondo
Two persons were killed and at least five others injured on Wednesday as fresh violence disrupted the All Progressives Congress (APC) ward congress in Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State, deepening an escalating internal crisis within the ruling party in the state.
The incident occurred at Odode-Idanre, the LGA headquarters, where party members had gathered for the congress being conducted simultaneously across APC’s 203 wards in Ondo. Witnesses said armed thugs invaded the venue, opened fire and attacked participants with machetes and sticks, triggering panic and a stampede.
Police authorities confirmed that two victims were pronounced dead at a hospital, while several injured persons were receiving treatment. A vehicle was also reportedly set ablaze during the unrest, underscoring the intensity of the clash.
Among those critically injured was Mr Raphael Adetimehin, younger brother of the APC state caretaker chairman, Ade Adetimehin. He was said to have been mistaken for the party leader and attacked with machetes before being rushed to hospital in a life-threatening condition. Sources close to the family expressed fears he might not have survived, though officials had yet to confirm his status as of press time.
Security agencies, including the police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), subsequently deployed reinforcements to Idanre to restore order and prevent further violence. Ondo State Police Commissioner Adebowale Lawal said an investigation had commenced to identify and arrest those responsible.
Wednesday’s killings are widely seen as a spillover of factional clashes that erupted a day earlier at the APC state secretariat in Akure. On Tuesday, suspected hoodlums invaded a stakeholders’ meeting convened to finalise arrangements for the ward congresses, assaulting party leaders and forcing the meeting to end abruptly. The attackers reportedly wielded sticks and machetes, chasing out officials including the state chairman.
The incidents have triggered a blame game within the Ondo APC. Ade Adetimehin accused political rivals linked to former federal lawmaker Tajudeen Adefisoye of sponsoring the attacks, alleging the violence was aimed at weakening his leadership ahead of the congress. However, the Ondo State Government and some party figures rejected claims of political sponsorship, describing the crisis as an internal misunderstanding unrelated to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa or the congress process.
The violence highlights deepening factional divisions within the APC in Ondo as rival blocs jostle for control of party structures at the grassroots level—an exercise considered crucial for determining delegates and influence ahead of future elections.
As investigations continue, party faithful in Idanre and beyond remain shaken by the deadly turn of events, which transformed what was meant to be an internal democratic exercise into one of the most violent episodes in the party’s recent history in the state.
