JUST IN; Governor’s aide allegedly beat APC Chairman into coma

JUST IN; Governor’s aide allegedly beat APC Chairman into coma

Ward-level leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State have raised concerns over what they described as a brutal attack on Ward 8 chairman, Oluwadare Olanrewaju.

The Forum of APC Ward Chairmen said the alleged assault involved Oluwafemi Fadairo, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa on Community Engagement (Central), popularly known as “Fada.”

The conflict reportedly arose from a disagreement over the distribution of funds given to the wards during the governor’s recent thank-you tour.

Party sources said disputes over the N1 million allocated to each ward escalated into a physical confrontation, leaving Olanrewaju hospitalised and reportedly in a coma.

In a statement released over the weekend, the ward chairmen alleged that Fadairo arrived with some suspected thugs and attacked Olanrewaju after disagreements over the beneficiary list for the funds.

They claimed Fadairo, who is seeking the APC ticket to contest the Akure South/Akure North federal constituency seat, tried to force the inclusion of his loyalists among the beneficiaries, a demand the ward chairman rejected.

“When he refused to manipulate the list, the intimidation began,” the forum alleged, adding that Olanrewaju was followed, harassed and eventually beaten until he lost consciousness and had to be rushed to the hospital.

They also condemned the incident, declaring: “Leadership should protect people, not endanger them. Anyone who promotes violence is unfit for the privilege of public office.”

The group described the episode as disgraceful, especially given Fadairo’s link to the governor’s office, and said the matter had been reported to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Zone 17, Akure.

Responding to the allegations, Fadairo dismissed them as politically motivated and aimed at undermining his ambition. He denied any involvement in an attack on Olanrewaju, insisting: “There was no day I beat him or touched him. They are cooking up lies because they know I am popular in the ward, and they want to weaken my political structure, but they have failed.”