Pandemonium broke out on Friday in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital as factions of the newly registered All Progressive Congress (APC) clashed, leaving no fewer than 50 party members serious wounded.
The imbroglio it was learnt occurred around 4pm at the state secretariat of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) which dissolved into the new APC and was said to have been masterminded by suspended state CPC chairman, Kunle Mudashiru, former acting state Public Relations Officer, Shina Oduntan as well as one of the elders of the party, Chief Adekola.
Ogun state chapter of CPC had on June 6th, 2013 suspended Mudashiru on the allegation of financial mismanagement and maladministration, while Oduntan was suspended on the ground that he led a group of thugs to disrupt the session of the state meeting.
The quick intervention of men of the Ogun state command of Nigeria Police Force who raced in to the scene of the melee however, restored normalcy to the area.
Among those who sustained varying degrees of injuries in the melee were the state Publicity Secretary of CPC, Bola Adeogun, Assistant State Legal Adviser, Dele Timothy, State Youths leader, Anthony Amos, state Woman Leader, Funmi Ogunsanwo among others.
Two members of the warring factions, Oduntan and Adekola were however, whisked away to the Ibara Police Divisional headquarters in the Abeokuta metropolis.
Speaking with newsmen at the scene, the state secretary of the defunct CPC, Godwin Odeyemi explained that CPC members were in their state meeting when the trio of Mudashiru, Oduntan and Adekola arrived in company of some heavily armed hoodlums.
He said the hoodlums freely used guns, cutlasses, broken bottles as well as other dangerous weapons to attack members at the meeting before they eventually vandalized property at the state secretariat.
“We were in the mid of the state meeting when we saw some hoodlums, armed with machete, cutlasses and broken bottles invading the meeting venue and started rough-handling us.
“In the process, many of us were macheted and wounded with broken bottles. Many others sustained cutlass cut at the head”.
Odeyemi further stated that the suspension of Mudashiru and Oduntan had culminated in the factionalisation of the party, which led to the two factions holding their meeting separately before yesterday’s attack.
He also told newsmen that the police recovered an unmarked black coloured jeep bearing inscription of “SIA” on both front and back.
Odeyemi also told newsmen that the national headquarters of the party had directed all the factions to await directives on how to harmonise the state executive committee before their attackers arrived the venue of the incident in an unmarked blacked jeep.
Lamenting the incident, Odeyemi who said several other members have been hospitalized following the incident, also explained that “we expect Mudashiru to hold on for that National directive but we were surprised to see the development today”.
When contacted over the matter, the Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muyiwa Adejobi confirmed the incident and added that two of the warring factions were already assisting the police in their investigations.
“We are aware of the clash between the two factions; the parties are with us at Ibara police station. We are looking into it and we are going to investigate properly”