Armed attackers on Tuesday stormed a stakeholders’ meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at its secretariat in Akure, the Ondo State capital, injuring the party’s state chairman Engr. Ade Adetimehin and other officials and forcing an abrupt end to the gathering, party officials said.

The meeting was convened by party leaders and stakeholders to prepare for internal party activities, including the forthcoming ward congresses, officials said.

It was being held at the APC state secretariat when unidentified assailants suddenly entered the venue, according to eyewitness accounts.

Eyewitnesses said the attackers were armed with sticks, machetes and other crude weapons and entered the secretariat premises shouting threats, causing panic among participants. Those present at the meeting fled the venue for safety as the assailants advanced.

Adetimehin said he was thrown to the ground and beaten by the attackers, who seized two of his mobile phones and his wristwatch before leaving the scene, he said.

The attackers also assaulted the chairman’s driver and other party members. Some of those injured were taken to hospital for treatment, party officials said.

According to the state party chairman, the assailants claimed that certain individuals “did not want congress,” and he said there was confusion during the attack that forced the meeting’s cancellation.

Adetimehin said: “They came in force this morning and ordered everybody to leave… We told them we were not challenging anybody’s authority, but they attacked us.

They dragged me to the floor. I didn’t bother; they took away my two phones from my pocket, along with my wristwatch.”

The disruption of a political party’s stakeholders’ meeting and the reported assault on its chairman occur amid preparations by various parties ahead of internal congresses and the broader 2027 general elections.

Incidents of violence at political gatherings highlight ongoing security concerns within party structures and venues during politically charged periods.