Aiyedatiwa Squares Up Against Tunji-Ojo’s Rising Influence

In the political landscape of Ondo State, a veneer of public civility is struggling to mask a deepening internal crisis. While Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo frequently exchange warm embraces at state functions, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is fracturing beneath them. What was once a unified front has devolved into a high-stakes struggle for party supremacy.

Aiyedatiwa, as the state’s chief executive, relies on the traditional weight of incumbency and the formal government machinery. His loyalists maintain that the party structure must naturally align with executive authority to ensure stability. However, this claim to leadership is being challenged by Tunji-Ojo’s ‘federal bloc,’ which draws momentum from the minister’s rising national profile and connections within the presidency.

The friction moved from quiet strategy rooms to the streets in February 2026, when ward congresses in Idanre turned deadly. At least two fatalities were reported during clashes between rival supporters, pointing to a breakdown in internal discipline. This violence was followed by a brazen assault on the State APC Chairman, Ade Adetimehin, during a stakeholders’ meeting in Akure.

These physical confrontations are rooted in systemic grievances over exclusion. Tunji-Ojo’s camp, often joined by remnants of the late Governor Akeredolu’s structure, accuses Aiyedatiwa of sidelining them from government influence. The tension peaked when federal lawmakers aligned with the Minister boycotted key party meetings, effectively creating a parallel power centre that operates outside the governor’s reach.

Factions like the Ondo Vanguard for Good Governance have further complicated the rift by alleging that national party officers manipulated delegate congresses to favour the incumbency. While officials label the discord as social media fiction, the burning of vehicles and documented assaults suggest a different reality.

For Ondo APC, this Cold War represents a fundamental clash between established structure and new momentum. If left unresolved, these distinct blocs threaten to undermine the party’s cohesion ahead of the next election cycle. The Sunshine State’s ruling party is currently a house divided, waiting to see which titan will eventually claim the soul of the organisation.