State Party Chairman’s Brother in Coma
Party Chieftains Urge Tinubu To Intervene
Gov Asks Security Agencies To Bring Perpetrators To Justice

The younger brother of the state chairman of the party was attacked and hacked by the miscreants, who were said to be look­ing for the state chairman to kill.

Confirming the attack on his younger brother, state chairman of APC, Engr. Ade Adetimehin said his younger brother is cur­rently in a coma. The ward congress of the All Progres­sives Congress (APC) held on Wednesday across the 203 wards in Ondo State turned bloody as four persons were feared killed, several injured, and the younger brother of the state chairman of the party, Rapha­el Adetimehin, is currently in a coma. He said his younger brother was attacked by some thugs, who were looking for him in his hometown, Idanre, in the Idanre Local Gov­ernment Area of the state.

Adetimehin explained that due to a striking semblance with him, his brother was attacked by the armed thugs and hacked severely till he passed out.

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He said, “When the thugs saw his car, they thought it was me because he’s my lookalike.

“The thugs shot at him severely, and when they realized that he was not hurt, they hacked him with machetes and axes and stabbed him many times till he was no longer breathing.

“They set his car ablaze and left him on the ground when they were sure that he was lifeless.

“His lifeless body was taken to the hospital, where the doctor confirmed that he was in a state of coma.

“We are praying that he will recover because he has. ” It would be recalled that on Tuesday, the APC chairman was attacked by some thugs allegedly from the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state.

Adetimehin’s driver and many other people were hospitalized in Akure, the state capital.

Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa later in the evening on Tuesday held a stakeholders’ meeting, saying the meeting was yet to begin when the thugs chased the attendees out.

He described thugs as support­ers of some aspirants in the party.

Chieftains of the party, who were attacked at the party’s sec­retariat on Tuesday, alleged the governor was the brain be­hind the attack.

Denying the allegation, Gov­ernor Aiyedatiwa said he had no connection with the miscreants or the attack.

Confirming the violent attacks in Idanre, the spokesman for the State Police Command, Abayomi Jimoh, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the Commis­sioner of Police, Adebowale Law­al, led a team of policemen to the town to quell the violence.

In a statement, Abayomi confirmed that five people were attacked, but only two died among them, while others are still in the hospital. However, sources told the Daily Independent that four per­sons were killed.

He said, “During the incident, five persons yet to be identified were reportedly attacked, and a vehicle was set ablaze. Three vic­tims sustained varying degrees of injury and are currently re­ceiving medical attention, while two others were confirmed dead at the hospital.

“The commissioner of police visited the injured victims to as­sess their condition and assured them of the command’s support.”

Although no one has been arrested, Abayomi said, “The investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the attack and to apprehend those responsible for this heinous act.”

Meanwhile, a chieftain of the party, Chief Erastus Akeju, told journalists on Wednesday that, while stating his ordeal at the party’s secretariat on Tuesday, he called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in the crisis without delay.

He disclosed that the cause of the attacks was a cold war between the state governor and the Interior Minister, Olubunmi Tunj-Ojo.

Akeju said, “From those that we have contacted, I know that at least three elders were injured; they are not less than 50.

“Because we were calling one another to check on our safety. So I can look for them, and after this, I can give you a list of those who are really seriously injured.

“Now, we hold our meetings here regularly with the elders committee, and we have always said one thing. This dichotomy between BTO (Bunmi Tunji-Ojo) and the governor is not new to us. We are not aware. It has not been brought before the elders. BTO has not reported to us that the governor is after him. The gover­nor has not reached out to us to say that BTO is challenging him.

“We are just waiting for an opportunity to see what is really happening. You see, when there is no report of violence or anything, or disagreement, physical disagreement, I mean, we cannot just go to the governor and ask him, “Are you quarreling with BTO?” Or ask BTO, what is between you and the governor? We say nothing.

“So it is now that it has esca­lated publicly into physical con­frontation. That we cannot say. All right, it’s time for the elders to intervene. We saw what happened yesterday. I was there. You see, the chairman called a meeting of stakeholders.

“You have read it. We are in the media. He said he consulted the governor. It was instigated by those who came from Abuja to conduct the election. And it was an emergency meeting.

“They contacted us, and we came. We went there. We did not go there as anybody’s supporter. It was the stakeholders who dis­cussed the congress that would take place today. So how those who attacked the place came about, of course, we have an idea. They believed that any meeting called, because usually the stake­holders’ meeting is called by the governor. As a matter of fact, it is wrong. It is the chairman of the party that will call the stakehold­ers’ meeting.

“So the chairman is right in calling the meeting anyway. That is part of his responsibility, which the authority conferred on him allows. So he called the meeting, and since they said it is going to take place in the secretariat, it’s called by the party chairman. Why should we not be there? Why should we be thinking of any group or any faction? It was not a faction, no matter.

“But apparently, they thought that anything that the chairman did, they have this perception that he is pro-BTO. Even we heard that. We are not aware of that. All we know is that he is the chairman of the party. We don’t know whether he is pro-BTO or pro-Nobel. He has not come here to discuss BTO with us. We have never discussed BTO with him.

“So when we got there now, I was one of the last people in that hall. Because when the violence broke out, I decided to maintain calm. I waited and observed. Be­cause I was right towards the top of the high table. I was watching whether anybody would come to attack me where I was standing.

“So, I saw them throwing chairs and grabbing the big wood. Then I saw an injured man lying down there on the floor. I now decided to go and help him. But I was apprehensive. When I began to hear the shout, “If you are not targeted, we don’t want to see you.” No BTO. No BTO. Then I realized that my life is in danger. Because I am a BTO person. And everybody knows that.

“So, I said to the people who recognized me, ‘I’m finished. So what did I do? I used that person who was on the floor as a shield. So I pretended as if I was taking care of him. I bowed down. Then when we managed to raise him up, I now held him by my hand. And then pretended as if I was leading him out. I hid myself. I started limping.

“To show that I too was injured. And then, of course, I put my head on the floor. I didn’t want them to see my face. Until, you know, I moved. Templars (Sola Ajisafe) joined me. We were trying to take care of the man. As we reached the exit door of the hall, they accosted him. They said, “Is he not a Templar?” Are you BTO? That was the last I heard. I had already moved away.

“What answer I gave them that led to his being dragged, I don’t know. But apparently, they were able to identify him as a pro-BTO person. And he has been writing a lot of things against Aiyedati­wa. So they dealt with him there. So when we went downstairs, I thought that I had already es­caped. So I buckled up and then straightened up, thinking that I could just walk.

“Then somebody said, ‘Ah, this man with this cap. Ah, bam, bam, bam. And then hit me in my leg. And then they hit me on my left hand. But I dare not look back. I quickened my speed. I ran to my vehicle. That’s how we escaped.

“So it was not until now we didn’t know anything about it. If I was not there yesterday, I would be doubting that it wasn’t a matter between BTO and Aiye­datiwa. But I heard them. I was there in the hall. When they were shouting, “No BTO, no BTO.” But if you’re Aiyedatiwa, wait.

“So I was embarrassed. So that was the first time that it be­came very clear to us that this matter involved this rivalry that we have been hearing of, that we don’t know anything about. We now have an idea. That’s why we are calling on Mr. President and the chairman of our party to in­tervene.”

Gov Asks Security Agencies To Bring Perpetrators To Justice

Reacting to issues at the APC congress, Prince Ebenezer Ad­eniyan, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, said, “The governor is the leader of the party and father to all party members. He has always provid­ed leadership that embraces all groups and interests in the party since he became governor.

“He’s the first governor in the history of the state to hold quar­terly stakeholder engagement with party leaders, and this has fostered unity and a sense of be­longing in the APC in the state.

“The pockets of issues in the ward congress of the party have nothing to do with the governor, and that was why he called on se­curity agencies to restore order at the party secretariat on Tuesday.

“Mr. Governor has also called on security agencies to investi­gate the crisis that took place in Idanre earlier today (Wednesday) and bring the perpetrators to jus­tice.

“The governor urges all aspirants contesting for party positions to call their followers and supporters to order, as the government will not tolerate any breakdown of law and order in any part of the state.”