Fresh controversy has trailed Tuesday’s violent attack on the Ondo State secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akure, as the state representative of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Hon. Otito Atikase, raised alarm over an alleged threat to his life.
Atikase, who was among party chieftains reportedly attacked, accused Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, of being responsible if anything happens to him.
In a statement posted on his official Facebook page shortly after the incident, Atikase alleged that the attack was politically motivated and linked it to the governor.
He wrote, “The people of Ondo State, if anything happens to me, hold Lucky Aiyedatiwa responsible. He is planning to assassinate me. His thugs injured so many people at the APC Secretariat today.”
Eyewitnesses told our correspondent that the former honorable member of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Hon. Success Torhukerhijo, was among the victims, reportedly soaked in blood during the rampage.
The attack came during a violent disruption of an APC stakeholders’ meeting, in which suspected thugs stormed the party secretariat, attacking leaders and members, forcing the meeting to end abruptly.
As earlier reported by the The Stewardship, the Ondo State APC Chairman, Engr. Ade Adetimehin, was also targeted in the attack, alongside other party chieftains. Party sources linked the incident to the escalating internal power struggle between rival factions ahead of the party’s forthcoming congress in the state.
The violence has heightened political tension across Ondo State, raising concerns over the safety of party leaders and the deepening crisis within the ruling party.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Governor Aiyedatiwa nor security agencies had issued an official statement regarding the incident or the allegations made by Atikase.
