Former presidential candidate Peter Obi, former APC National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and other chieftains of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) were reportedly attacked by suspected thugs on Tuesday in Edo State.
The development was disclosed by Obi’s former campaign spokesman and National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr Yunusa Tanko, in a statement from Abuja.
Tanko said: “Peter Obi and the leadership of the ADC are under siege in Benin, Edo State. During the formal declaration of Olumide Akpata into the ADC, armed individuals followed us from the ADC Secretariat to Chief John Odigie-Oyegun’s residence. They fired shots at the gate and destroyed several vehicles, in what appears to be a failed assassination attempt. Democracy is in danger.”
Photos and videos shared by Tanko showed several SUV windscreens shattered and Odigie-Oyegun’s gate riddled with bullet holes.
The attack occurred amid political activities surrounding the formal induction of Olumide Akpata into the ADC, raising concerns about rising political tensions in Edo State.
The incident comes a day after the ADC candidate in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) chairmanship election, Dr Moses Paul, and the Obidient Movement rejected the February 21 election results, citing widespread irregularities.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Christopher Maikalangu of the APC the winner with 40,295 votes out of 62,861 valid votes. Paul finished second with 12,109 votes, while the PDP candidate scored 3,398 votes.
In his statement, Paul alleged voter suppression, result manipulation, intimidation of party supporters, and vote buying in several wards, claiming that the declared results did not reflect the true will of the people.
