Many injured as APC, PDP supporters clash in Ondo

Many were reportedly injured on Thursday in Idanre town in the Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State as the supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party clashed.

A source claimed the Chairman of the PDP in the Idanre Local Government Area, Mr. Bola Ogundolu, was injured during the clash. The chairman was said to have been rushed to an undisclosed private hospital in the town.

The source said, “Members of the two parties were to hold their get-together today (yesterday); they were both granted permission by the Divisional Police Officer in the town.

“But in the morning, some APC thugs went to the house of the PDP chairman, where some people were preparing food for the ceremony. The boys (suspected APC supporters) invaded the house and attacked everybody in the house; they took away all the foods that had been prepared.

“The chairman was attacked in front of the DPO when he went to report the activities of the hoodlums at the police station. He was seriously injured by the thugs.”

A PDP chieftain in the town, Mr. Mayokun Akinmoladun, stated that the clash occurred at about 8.30am on Thursday. He claimed that the PDP had earlier written to the police and other security agencies in the state for permission to hold the event, which, according to him, was granted.

“The APC supporters attacked and maimed our people in our chairman’s house; they destroyed our canopy, our chairs; they stole all the food we prepared. They also injured our chairman.”

But in his reaction, the state Chairman of the APC, Mr. Ade Adetimehin, said there was no clash in the town that involved members of his party.

“I was not aware of the incident; if my members fought anywhere, I would have been informed. I am in Idanre now (yesterday) and nothing of such has been reported to me,” Adetimehin said.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of the state command, Mr. Femi Joseph, who confirmed the incident, said normalcy had returned to the town as the two parties had agreed to make peace.

He also denied that the Idanre PDP chairman was beaten at the police station by hoodlums.

Joseph said, “We had met with the leaders of the two parties and thank God the matter has been resolved amicably. The caretaker chairman of the APC in the local government has offered to compensate the PDP for all they lost. If the PDP too wants to hold their own party tomorrow, we are ready to give them security.”

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