Former presidential candidate Peter Obi, ex-National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and several leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) were reportedly attacked by suspected thugs in Edo State on Tuesday.
The development was made public by Obi’s former campaign spokesman and National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, in a statement released in Abuja.
According to the statement, the incident occurred in Benin City during activities marking the formal declaration of Olumide Akpata into the ADC. Tanko alleged that armed men trailed the delegation from the party secretariat to Odigie-Oyegun’s residence, where shots were fired and vehicles damaged.
The statement read, “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.”
Photos and videos shared alongside the statement showed bullet-marked gates and several SUVs with shattered windscreens at Odigie-Oyegun’s residence.
The alleged attack has heightened concerns over rising political tensions in the state, especially amid disputes over recent electoral processes.
The incident comes shortly after the ADC candidate in the Abuja Municipal Area Council chairmanship election, Dr. Moses Paul, alongside the Obidient Movement, rejected the outcome of the February 21 poll. Paul accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of irregularities, including voter suppression and result manipulation.
INEC had declared Christopher Maikalangu of the APC as the winner of the AMAC chairmanship election with 40,295 votes out of 62,861 valid ballots cast. Paul secured 12,109 votes, while the People’s Democratic Party candidate polled 3,398 votes.
Paul, however, maintained that the election results did not reflect the will of the electorate, alleging intimidation and vote buying across several wards.
