Aiyedatiwa Addresses Claims Of Sponsoring Attack On APC Caretaker Chairman

Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa has denied claims that he was behind the attack on the state secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akure.

The denial follows an incident on Tuesday in which suspected hoodlums disrupted a stakeholders’ meeting at the APC office.

During the attack, Ade Adetimehin, the party’s caretaker chairman in Ondo, and other party leaders were assaulted.

Adetimehin was badly beaten, and his mobile phone was reportedly taken from him.

The violence forced party members to flee, bringing the meeting organised ahead of ward congresses to an abrupt end.

Eyewitnesses said the attackers caused panic at the secretariat, brandishing sticks, machetes, and other dangerous weapons as party members ran for safety.

After the incident, Adetimehin alleged that members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), supposedly led by Ademola Odudu, carried out the attack on the governor’s instructions.

Later that same day, Governor Aiyedatiwa visited the party secretariat alongside other APC leaders for a meeting with officials from the APC national congress committee.

Addressing the violence, the governor said he was informed earlier that morning about a planned stakeholders’ meeting.

According to him, he asked that the meeting be moved to later in the day so he and other key party members could attend.

He explained that many stakeholders, including himself, were attending the 50th birthday celebration of a cabinet member at the time the attack occurred.

Governor Aiyedatiwa firmly denied ordering or supporting any act of violence.

He blamed the disruption on clashes between rival groups backing different aspirants in the party.

“At about 11am, I got a call from the party chairman that there was going to be a stakeholders’ meeting, which I approved,” the governor said.

“But I told them it should be fixed for 2 p.m. because I was attending the 50th birthday of one of our stakeholders who is a cabinet member.

“Normally, we have stakeholders’ meetings and I am always in attendance, together with the speaker and the deputy governor.

“But this one was an impromptu meeting because of the ward and local government congresses.

“You can see the way I am dressed. I was at the birthday of one of the stakeholders who was also supposed to be here. That was why we asked them to shift the meeting to 2pm.”

ALSO READ: Appeal Court Upholds Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s Election As Ondo Governor