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By Goli Innocent
2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and former Edo State governor, John Odigie-Oyegun, have recounted how they narrowly escaped what they described as an assassination attempt by gunmen in Benin, Edo State.
The incident reportedly occurred shortly after leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) received former Nigerian Bar Association president Olumide Akpata into the party.
Gunmen were said to have stormed the ADC secretariat on Ogbelaka Street, Off Sokponba Road, firing shots and vandalising property, before proceeding to Odigie-Oyegun’s residence on Reservation Road, where vehicles were riddled with bullets.
Eyewitnesses reported that several party members sustained injuries during the attack.
Narrating his ordeal, Obi shared, “It is time to speak up. It is time those in government act. They are not going to be there forever.
“What they allowed to happen in the country today will take its revenge on all of us and the country.”
In a separate video from Odigie-Oyegun’s residence, he added, “This is a former governor of the state. You can see what happened in front of his house, where hoodlums came, shooting.
“Look at the gate, see the bullet holes at the gate, several cars damaged. That is where our democracy has reached.”
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Odigie-Oyegun said they had received prior intelligence of a planned attack. “Halfway through the proceedings, we got an intelligence report, certainly from one of the security agencies, that they have information that the place is going to be attacked, so we should please try to wind up.
“You can’t ignore information. So we cut short our proceedings, and I think we were just barely lucky to have left there in time because thereafter it looked like all hell broke loose… People were injured.”
He warned, “I am afraid that our leaders, both at the centre and in this state, are playing with fire. The consequences could be terrible, much more than any of you expect.”
The Edo State chapter of the ADC accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of masterminding the attack, an allegation denied by both the party and the state government, which attributed the violence to internal disputes.
Meanwhile, the Edo State Police Command confirmed the incident, with its spokesperson stating, “Shortly after the event concluded, a group of suspected hoodlums disrupted the premises and chased attendees away…
“Some plastic chairs and canopies were damaged… No casualties were reported. Security has since been reinforced… Investigations are ongoing.”
Reacting, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar condemned the attack, saying: “The violent attack on Peter Obi, John Oyegun… and other Coalition ADC leaders in Benin is utterly condemnable and unacceptable in any democracy…
“Nigeria must not descend into a theatre where politics is settled by violence.”
As investigations commence, the incident has heightened political tension in Edo State, with opposition figures warning of growing intolerance, while the government maintains that the violence stemmed from internal party disagreements.
