Violence and Recrimination: The Deepening Rift Within Ondo APC

The political climate in Ondo State has deteriorated into open confrontation as the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) faces a severe internal crisis. What began as factional friction has escalated into physical violence, raising serious questions about party cohesion and executive influence over party structures. The conflict reached a boiling point at the party’s Akure secretariat on February 17, 2026, during a scheduled stakeholders’ meeting. Violent actors, reportedly armed with dangerous weapons, invaded the premises, resulting in the assault of the APC caretaker chairman, Ade Adetimehin. Eyewitness accounts suggest a targeted operation where Adetimehin was beaten and dispossessed of his phone, prompting other party members to flee for safety. Allegations have since surfaced directly linking members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), specifically under the state leadership of Ademola Odudu, to the disruption.

Central to this chaotic episode is a direct accusation against Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, with party leadership alleging the attack was state-sponsored to assert dominance—an allegation supported by claims that the aggressors declared the governor’s ownership of the party during the raid. Governor Aiyedatiwa has vehemently rejected these claims, citing his attendance at a cabinet member’s 50th birthday celebration during the time of the incident. He further argued that standard protocol involves his presence at such stakeholder meetings alongside the Speaker and Deputy Governor, describing the accusation as illogical. However, this defense has done little to quell the suspicion rooted in the political trauma of late 2023, when Aiyedatiwa, then deputy governor, survived an impeachment attempt during the tenure of the late Rotimi Akeredolu.

This latest outbreak of violence is symptomatic of a larger, unresolved battle for the soul of the APC in Ondo. Beyond the physical altercation at the secretariat lies a strategic struggle to consolidate the party structure ahead of upcoming electoral cycles. As factions retrench and accusations fly, the governance of the state risks becoming collateral damage in a war of attrition between party executives and the state house.