Attack on Obi: A Blot on Democracy, ADC Alleges Assassination Plot in Edo

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly condemned the attack on former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and some party chieftains in Benin, the Edo State capital, describing the incident as a dangerous affront to Nigeria’s democracy.
Obi, who was the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), was reportedly attacked on Tuesday alongside other stakeholders at the residence of John Odigie-Oyegun, a chieftain of the ADC, shortly after a political meeting in the state.
National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko, disclosed in a post on X that the incident occurred after the group returned from the ADC secretariat where Olumide Akpata, the 2023 LP governorship candidate in Edo State, was formally received into the party.
Reacting in a separate statement, the ADC’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, described the attack as “a grave and disturbing development” and a major setback for democratic governance in the country.
Abdullahi linked the incident to an earlier comment allegedly made in July 2025 by Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, who had reportedly warned Obi against visiting the state without his permission.
“We did not imagine at the time that such a warning would degenerate into what now appears to be an assassination plot,” Abdullahi stated.
He maintained that violence and political intimidation remain tools of those who fear the will of the people, stressing that such acts represent a stain on Nigeria’s democratic credentials and must be roundly condemned by all lovers of freedom and justice.
The ADC spokesman, however, affirmed that the party would not be cowed by threats or acts of violence.
“We shall neither bow nor retreat. We will continue to stand firm, speak without fear, and pursue a peaceful struggle for a Nigeria where opposition voices are not silenced and every citizen is free to participate in the democratic process,” he said.