Engr Ade Adetimehin, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State has narrated how suspected political thugs attacked him and some leaders of the party at its secretariat in Akure on Tuesday.
Thefrontrank reports that the bewildered Adetimehin, who was seen on the floor at the party secretariat in viral pictures, claimed “they beat the hell out me”.
He fingered members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers in the state led by their Chairman, Ademola Odudu in the attack.
Narrating his ordeal, the Ondo State APC Chairman said that the attackers demanded that the party should not conduct its Ward Congress in the state.
Adetimehin explained that a stakeholders’ meeting was convened at the instance of the congress committee from the national secretariat, Abuja, which had met with the state party officials on Monday.
He disclosed that the venue was already filled when the attackers invaded it. He alleged that they were mobilised to disrupt the meeting by the state government.
The APC Chairman claimed that the attackers who equally beat up party leaders and members, seized his phones and other valuables.
He disclosed that several members of the party, who sustained injuries during the attack, were taken to the hospital for treatment.
“We were in the secretariat for about one and a half hours on Monday, the chairman of the Ward Congress Committee said we should hold a stakeholder’s meeting today(Tuesday), that I should call the meeting.
“We both agreed to hold the meeting by 12 noon, and by 12.35 p.m, the hall was filled to its capacity. I spoke with Mr Governor one-on-one about the meeting.
“We both agreed that after the meeting, myself and the committee would go to him and meet him, because it is their duty to tell us the modality for the Congress and how we are going to conduct the Congress.
“After speaking with him, I told him that I heard from the grapevine that some people are mobilising to the secretariat to disrupt the meeting.
“The governor said there was nothing like that and promised to caution anybody behind it.
“30 minutes later, the venue was invaded by thugs, armed with cutlasses and others. They beat the hell out of me and all leaders and members, except those who are for them.
“They dragged me on the floor, I didn’t bother, they took away my two phones from my pocket, with my wristwatch. They equally beat my diver. A lot of our members were wounded during the attack,” he stated.
Reacting to the incident, the state government denied the allegations linking the governor to the attack.
A statement by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, described the claim of the governor’s involvement as “malicious, false and an attempt to tarnish his image.”
