The ongoing ward congress of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at Idanre Local Government Area in Ondo State turned violent on Wednesday, leading to the death of three persons.
One of the victims was said to be a prominent party chieftain in the local government area.
According to reports, the incident happened when political thugs, suspected to be loyal to members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, invaded the venue of the ward congress and began shooting sporadically into the air.
A vehicle believed to belong to a party stalwart was also set on fire during the attack.
Eyewitnesses said the thugs disrupted the exercise, causing several injuries and widespread damage to property.
As of the time of filing this report, the exact cause of the violence had not been clearly established.
Meanwhile, similar violence was recorded on Tuesday when thugs invaded the APC state secretariat in Ondo State, leaving many people injured. The state chairman and a commissioner were also reportedly brutalised.
The incident occurred during a pre-congress stakeholders’ meeting.
An eyewitness, Yetunde Adeyanju, told journalists that the attackers were armed with dangerous weapons and claimed they were acting on behalf of the state governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
She said the attackers shouted, “We don’t want congress in Ondo State. The governor is in charge. The governor is the leader of the state, and the governor is in charge.
“Nobody can query the authority of the governor, and anybody who wants to talk about congress in Ondo State will be assassinated. If you talk about congress in Ondo State, you will be assassinated.”
