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Suspected political thugs on Tuesday disrupted a stakeholders’ meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akure, the Ondo State capital, injuring several members and forcing party leaders to flee.
Eyewitnesses said the assailants, armed with broken bottles, planks, machetes, stones, and other dangerous objects, stormed the party’s secretariat while deliberations were ongoing.
The attackers reportedly pursued members indiscriminately, throwing the meeting into disarray and sparking panic within the premises.
The incident occurred amid rising tension within the ruling party over the forthcoming ward, local government, and state congresses to elect new executives, a process said to have intensified internal divisions.
Sources disclosed that party leaders, officials, and delegates had assembled to discuss internal matters when the violence broke out.
A party executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said members had already settled in when the attackers struck.
“We had to run for our lives because they came with weapons and started threatening everyone. Some of us sustained injuries while trying to escape. Those who drove to the venue hurriedly left to prevent damage to their vehicles,” he said.
The Director of Media and Publicity of the APC in Ondo State, Steve Otaloro, confirmed the incident in a telephone conversation, adding that further details would be provided later.
