Ondo APC Crisis: Why Governor Aiyedatiwa is Facing Serious Accusations 

Politics in Ondo State has entered another tense moment. Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa is being accused of ordering thugs to attack the state secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akure.

On February 17, 2026, suspected hoodlums stormed the APC state secretariat during a stakeholders’ meeting. During the attack, the APC caretaker chairman in Ondo, Ade Adetimehin, was reportedly assaulted. Witnesses said he was beaten, and his phone was seized. Other party members fled as the attackers allegedly carried sticks and machetes.

After the incident, Adetimehin publicly accused Governor Aiyedatiwa of sponsoring the attack. He claimed members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), led by their state chairman Ademola Odudu, carried it out on the governor’s orders.

Some witnesses also claimed the attackers shouted that “the governor owns the party” and threatened anyone who questioned his authority.

Governor Aiyedatiwa has denied any involvement. According to him, he was attending a 50th birthday ceremony of a cabinet member when the incident occurred. He said he had advised party leaders to shift the meeting to 2pm so he could attend.

He also argued that stakeholders’ meetings are usually held with him present, alongside the Speaker and deputy governor, suggesting it would make little sense for him to disrupt a meeting he normally attends.

The conflict did not start this week.

In late 2023, when Aiyedatiwa was deputy governor under the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, he faced an impeachment attempt by the Ondo State House of Assembly. He was accused of misconduct and betrayal while Akeredolu was on medical leave.

Although he survived the impeachment, the episode created deep divisions within the APC. Since then, there have been ongoing accusations that the governor is trying to consolidate control of the party structure.

At its core, this is a fight over control, not just of a building in Akure, but of the APC structure in Ondo ahead of future elections. Governor Aiyedatiwa says he is not responsible. His opponents say he is. What is clear is that Ondo’s ruling party remains deeply divided, and the struggle for control is far from over.