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The Lagos State governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Funso Doherty, has said the resistance by party supporters against suspected political thugs who attacked its town hall meeting in Oregun shows that Peter Obi remains popular in Lagos and across the country.
Doherty said the attackers, who invaded the venue on Thursday with cutlasses, cudgels and stones, met stiff resistance from attendees determined to ensure the event went ahead.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, he disclosed that several vehicles were damaged and some people injured during the attack.
“As people were gathering for the town hall, the venue was invaded by some people, whom you could call thugs or miscreants, who unleashed violence in an attempt to disrupt the preparations for the event,” he said.
“They damaged vehicles and injured some people, but the attendees were determined to host their presidential candidate. They resisted the attack, forcing the thugs to retreat from the venue.”
He said the police later arrived to restore order, allowing the meeting to proceed.
According to Doherty, the determination of supporters to resist the attackers demonstrated that Obi still enjoys considerable support in Lagos, despite the political changes since the 2023 general election.
“The meeting was successful, with attendees expressing their love and support for the NDC and Peter Obi,” he said.
Obi, who contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Labour Party, won Lagos State with 582,354 votes, defeating President Bola Tinubu in a state widely regarded as the APC leader’s political stronghold.
Doherty said Thursday’s incident showed that Obi’s supporters had not lost the enthusiasm they demonstrated during the last presidential election.
“Those guys came in today probably thinking they would have an easy ride. They would come in and do what they might normally do, scatter things and people would run away. But people were not in that frame of mind,” he said.
“We have laboured for this, and you cannot deprive us of it. And I think that spirit is alive and strong. To those who might think that, following 2023, people have lost some of that energy, I think, if anything, today should let us know that it is game on.”
The NDC governorship candidate also dismissed concerns that Obi’s decision to move to a new political platform could weaken his chances in the 2027 presidential election.
He argued that voters were more concerned about the individuals contesting elections than the age or structure of the political parties they represented.
“The idea of a new party is not something that we should hang our hat on anymore in our clime. Parties may be new, but the individuals involved are not new,” he said.
Doherty maintained that Obi continued to enjoy widespread public affection because many Nigerians regarded him as a different kind of politician.
“But the reception of Peter Obi today, that is how it is everywhere he goes. This is a man who is loved by the people.
“They view him as a different kind of politician, for good reason, and those of us who align with that philosophy and thinking,” he added.
