Hoodlums attacked the Ondo State chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Engr. Ade Adetimehin, along with several party officials, during a stakeholders’ meeting at the party secretariat in Akure on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, Daily Trust reports.
Others injured in the incident included Hon. Otito Atikase, the state representative on the Niger Delta Development Commission board; former lawmakers Hon. Success Torhukerhojo and Hon. Abayomi Akinruntan; the chairman’s driver, Friday Ogbaide; former Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo local government chairman Hon. Dayo Akinsuroju; and former Commissioner Hon. Saka-Yusuf Ogunleye.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers, reportedly armed with sticks, machetes, and other weapons, stormed the meeting unannounced, forcing attendees to flee in panic. Several officials and supporters sought shelter in nearby buildings, while others fled the area entirely. Vehicles sped off as residents watched scenes of chaos unfold near the secretariat.
Adetimehin said the meeting was part of preparations for the party’s Ward Congress, which begins Wednesday, and that members of the Congress Committee from Abuja were present. He claimed the hoodlums, whom he identified as members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), attacked him despite assurances they were not challenging anyone’s authority.
“They came in force this morning and ordered everybody to leave, claiming the governor owns the party. We told them we were not challenging anybody’s authority, but they attacked us. They dragged me to the floor, took my phones and wristwatch,” Adetimehin said. “They kept threatening to kill, and many of our members are in hospital for treatment. When they could not harm me, they attacked my driver and beat him badly. Their demand was that they didn’t want Congress.”
A party chieftain who escaped the attack, Asiwaju Muyiwa Asagunla, criticized the use of political thugs to settle scores, calling the incident “a dangerous dimension” for Ondo politics. He described scenes of chaos as the attackers, reportedly about 200 strong, smashed chairs and assaulted officials, leaving several “blue and black.”
Video footage from the incident shows Adetimehin shouting, “They beat me mercilessly today.”
The attack has drawn condemnation from party members, who warned against allowing such violence to influence political processes in the state.
The governor’s team had not reacted to the development as of the time of filing this report.
