Ondo APC Rift Deepens as Aiyedatiwa’s Commissioner Drags 35 Leaders to Court

Fidelis David in Akure

The political rift within the Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) took a fresh legal twist yesterday as the state’s Commissioner for Finance, Mrs. Omowunmi Isaac, and her brother, Kunle Odide, instituted a libel suit against 35 leaders of the ruling party before the Ondo State High Court in Akure.

The case, which came before Justice Yemi Fasanmi, witnessed an early setback for the claimants after the court awarded N100,000 costs against each claimant in favour of each of the 35 defendants following an application to amend defects in their originating court processes. The ruling translates to a total cost award of N3.5 million in favour of the defendants.

Before the amendment application was made, the defendants had indicated their intention to challenge both the jurisdiction of the court and the competence of the suit through a preliminary objection.

Former Ondo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Adekola Olawoye (SAN), who is the first defendant, appeared as counsel for himself and several other defendants, while separate counsel represented the remaining respondents.

The defendants, who are all APC leaders from the same local government area as the claimants, also expressed their readiness to explore an amicable settlement, saying reconciliation was necessary to prevent further cracks within the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general election.

Speaking with journalists after the proceedings, Olawoye said the dispute arose from a letter he wrote to the national chairman of the APC, stressing that it was a legitimate communication made in his capacity as a party member.

According to him, the letter was privately addressed to the party leadership and was never intended for public circulation.

“It only highlighted developments within our local government area and was written as an internal party communication,” he said.

Olawoye further disclosed that the claimants had earlier petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, leading to the invitation of the defendants to Abuja in March this year.

He, however, noted that after reviewing the matter, the police neither detained nor prosecuted any of the defendants.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria said several efforts had been made to resolve the dispute outside the courtroom but had yet to yield results.

He appealed to party members to embrace reconciliation in the interest of the APC, warning that prolonged internal disputes could undermine the party’s fortunes in the 2027 elections.

Counsel to the claimants, Olaoluwa Imoru, maintained that the suit was instituted over an allegedly defamatory publication authored by the defendants and published in the Nigerian Tribune on February 2, 2026.

According to him, the claimants are asking the court to declare the publication defamatory and award aggravated, special and general damages for the alleged injury to their reputation.

Imoru said the claimants were equally seeking a public retraction and apology, insisting that both were necessary to repair the damage allegedly caused by the publication.

He argued that one of the offensive statements in the publication described the commissioner as Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s “mummy,” a description he said falsely portrayed her as wielding undue influence over the governor.

Justice Fasanmi subsequently adjourned the matter until October 8, 2026, for further hearing.