At least three people are feared dead after suspected political thugs attacked the ward congress of the All Progressives Congress in Idanre, Ondo State, throwing the exercise into chaos. The violence reportedly broke out on Wednesday at Odode-Idanre, the headquarters of Idanre Local Government Area, as party members gathered to elect ward officers.
Eyewitnesses said gunmen and machete wielding thugs invaded the venue, shooting sporadically and attacking participants, leaving several people injured and vehicles vandalised or set ablaze. One of the victims was identified as Raphael Adetimehin, younger brother of the state APC chairman, Ade Adetimehin, who was allegedly shot and macheted after being mistaken for the party boss.
The attack followed an earlier incident at the APC state secretariat in Akure, where hoodlums disrupted a stakeholders’ meeting and injured some party leaders ahead of the congress. Local party members and residents accused rival factions of sponsoring the violence to hijack the process and protest the alleged imposition of a preferred aspirant as returning officer.
Security operatives, including the police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, were later deployed to Idanre to restore order and prevent further breakdown of law and order. The Ondo State Police Command confirmed that two people were confirmed dead at the hospital while others with varying degrees of injuries were receiving treatment, adding that investigations are ongoing to arrest those behind the attack.
The bloodshed has heightened tension within the Ondo APC and raised fresh concerns about internal party democracy and political violence ahead of key elections in the state. Civil society groups and concerned citizens are already calling for a thorough probe, justice for the victims and firm measures to secure future party exercises.
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