Thugs allegedly loyal to the All Progressives Congress (APC) have attacked members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) during a ward meeting in Ondo State.
The incident, which occurred on Wednesday at Ward 8 in Akure South Local Government Area, left three ADC members injured, while several others narrowly escaped.
Confirming the attack to SaharaReporters, the ADC chairman in the state, Asiwaju Wole Ademoyegun, described the development as a brazen act of political intimidation.
He disclosed that the injured members had been rushed to the hospital for urgent medical attention.
Ademoyegun disclosed that the matter was reported to the B Police Division at Oke-Aro before being taken up to the Area Command in the state.
“We were holding the ward meeting at Ward 8 in Akure South Local Government when some hoodlums, believed to be sympathisers of the APC, stormed the venue and attacked us,” the ADC chairman said.
“The matter has been reported to the police. Initially, it was lodged at the B Division in Oke-Aro, since the ward is located there, but it was later transferred to the Area Command for further action.”
Despite the severity of the attack, Ademoyegun noted that no arrests had been made, fueling concerns among party members about their safety.
In recent months, Nigeria’s political climate has grown increasingly volatile, with opposition parties facing escalating threats and violence.
Among the most alarming incidents was the attack on ADC members during a peaceful gathering in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The event, held within the premises of a church, was meant to mark the formal defection of prominent figures, including Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the 2023 Labour Party governorship candidate, to the ADC.
The event quickly descended into chaos when armed thugs stormed the venue. Eyewitnesses reported scenes of bloodshed, vandalised vehicles, and stolen property.
The ADC condemned the attack as a “profound act of desecration,” especially given its location in a place of worship.
The party accused the APC of sponsoring the violence, describing the ruling party’s actions as consistent with a broader campaign of intimidation aimed at silencing dissent.
This incident is not isolated. The ADC has documented a disturbing pattern of harassment across multiple states:
The ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, recently issued a scathing statement, warning that the APC’s tactics resemble those of a terrorist organisation.
He said, “It started in Edo with a warning to ADC leaders not to visit the state, followed by Kogi, and then the shutting down of a private radio station in Niger, before it escalated to sponsored attacks on peaceful meetings in Kaduna, followed by attacks on convoys of ADC leaders in Kebbi.
“Saturday’s invasion of a church, the venue of an ADC event in Alimosho, Lagos State, is a new low — showing that the APC respects nothing and holds nothing sacred, not even a church. Under the APC, the Nigeria Police Force is being turned to the Gestapo wing of the ruling party.
“With this attack on a church, no one can predict how far this APC under President Tinubu is willing to go in its desperate quest to hold on to power at all costs.
“Now, APC-sponsored thugs have gone so far as attacking church premises. If churches and other places of worship are no longer regarded as inviolable by the APC goons, how then does the party intend to prove to the world that it is not indeed a terrorist organisation? After all, attacking places of worship is what terrorists do.”
(Source: SaharaReporters)
