Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, former APC National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) were reportedly attacked by suspected assailants on Tuesday in Benin, Edo State.
Dr Yunusa Tanko, Obi’s former campaign spokesman and National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, said in a statement from Abuja that armed assailants followed them from the ADC Secretariat to Odigie-Oyegun’s residence during political activities marking the formal induction of Olumide Akpata into the ADC.
Tanko said the attackers opened fire on the gate and damaged several vehicles. “Peter Obi and the leadership of the ADC are under siege and attack in Benin, Edo State. At the formal declaration of Olumide Akpata into the African Democratic Congress, armed individuals followed us from the ADC Secretariat to the residence of Chief John Odigie-Oyegun. They shot at the gate and destroyed several vehicles in what appears to be a survived assassination attempt on our lives. Democracy is in danger,” he said.
Photos and videos shared by Tanko showed smashed SUV windscreens and bullet-riddled gates at Odigie-Oyegun’s home, underscoring the severity of the alleged assault.
The attack occurred amid heightened political tensions in Edo State, coinciding with Akpata’s formal induction into the ADC, and has raised concerns about the safety of political actors in the state.
The incident came a day after the ADC candidate in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) chairmanship election, Dr Moses Paul, and the Obidient Movement rejected the declared results of the February 21 poll, alleging irregularities. The Independent National Electoral Commission had announced Christopher Maikalangu of the APC as the winner with 40,295 votes, while Paul scored 12,109 votes.
Paul accused INEC of mishandling the election, citing voter suppression, intimidation, vote buying, and result manipulation in several wards. Tuesday’s attack in Edo has further intensified fears about political violence and the security of opposition figures in Nigeria.
Authorities in Edo State have yet to respond to the reported attack, and the incident is expected to increase scrutiny of security arrangements for political leaders nationwide.
