The wrangling and outright indiscipline amongst the state party members raised the dust of brawl among the youths of the party who engaged in an open exchange of blow over a sum of money donated for a Youth Summit Programme allegedly squandered by their leader.
The brawl resulted in open fracas and caused pandemonium on the party's secretariat on Oyemekun Road, Akure, as visitors to the building located on the major road scampered for safety for fear of being injured.
Sponsored thugs numbering about ten and armed with dangerous weapons invaded the party's secretariat, where they engaged some members of the youth wing in the party in a serious struggle leading to a pandemonium and unease.
The Daily Times gathered from sources that the youths were at loggerheads with the party's state youth leader, Olutayo Babalayo, known as "Olutee", over an allegation of squandering over one million naira deposited in his care for the summit.
Our correspondent findings revealed that the money was given by the leadership of the party to the youth leader to support the programme where youths drawn from the 18 local governments areas of the state were billed to participate but the summit was a flop.
A witness said the youths missed with some sponsored thugs who were sympathetic to Babalayo, who were reacting over rumours that he might likely be suspended, as he could not account for the money meant for the programme.
"The youth leader could not account for the one million naira fund given to him by the party's leadership and other money sourced for from philanthropic members of the party.
"He knew that he might be suspended from the party after embezzling the funds and led some thugs to disrupt the activities of the party, but our unrelenting youths at the secretariat fought and overwhelmed the thugs.
"Thereafter, he went ahead to bring the police and alleged that he was beaten mercilessly by the youths in secretariat.
"It was the intervention of the party's State Secretary, Rahman Rotimi, that salvage the situation; he pleaded with the police not arrest anyone – including the youth leader, who had gone to the station to report the fracas."
A source within the party told the Daily Times that the youth leader had been suspended at an emergency meeting, held over his indiscipline and unbecoming attitude, which had brought disrepute to the image of the party and its leadership.
"We have suspended him for financial misappropriation, hooliganism, thuggery, indisicpline, and disregard for the party's leadership and constitution, while the deputy youth leader would now serve as the acting leader", the source said.
The source added that the case had already got to the State Working Committee (SEC), the highest decision making body of the party, where an investigation panel would be set-up to look into all the circumstances that triggered the brawl among the youths.
Babalayo described his suspension as a joke and stated that he was ready to pursue the case to a logical conclusion.
Babalayo who said he did not need APC to be relevant in Ondo State alleged that he was maltreated and thoroughly beaten, while his clothes were torn by thugs saying "until those who master-minded the attack were punished, I will continue the case.
"Even if I have done anything wrong, which is not the case, because the allegations were not true, that does not warrant the violence and maltreatment against me."
He told the Daily Times that the idea to organise the summit was an initiative he sold to the party leadership.
"We had to source for fund, and at the end the leadership gave us one million, 500,000 on two occasions, so where did three or four million come from? We paid for hall, food for 700 people and so many other things, as well as transportation to mobilise people to the venue."
He alleged that those querying him were only fighting him, because they wanted him to share the money meant for the programme with them. APC, he said was a dead party in the state.
"When the State Secretary, Mr. Rotimi Raheem, called me on Thusday, I went there alone, not with thugs as they claimed, because I didn't know they were waiting to attack me. When I got to the secretary's office, we were talking, when we heard noise downstairs. Somebody said I should go and talk to my boys. When I got there, they started beating me like a criminal, tore my cloth and dragged me to the road," he said.
He said when he escaped he went to the police station to report and eight policemen followed him to effect the arrest of some of the people but the party leadership beg the police that it was a party affair and they would that they handle it.
The party's Director of Publicity and Media, Mr. Steve Otaloro, said the leadership of the party had already waded into the matter.
