Yunusa Tanko, national coordinator of the Obidient Movement, has alleged that Peter Obi and several leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) came under attack on Tuesday in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
In a post shared on X, Tanko said the incident occurred at the residence of a former governor of the state, John Odigie-Oyegun, shortly after Obi and other party chieftains returned from the ADC secretariat.
The visit to the secretariat was to formally receive Olumide Akpata, the 2023 Labour Party governorship candidate in Edo, into the ADC.
“PO (Peter Obi) and the leadership of the ADC are under siege and attack in Benin, Edo State,” Tanko wrote.
“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.”
According to him, the assailants opened fire at the gate of the residence and vandalised several vehicles in what he described as “an assassination attempt” on their lives.
Obi also reacted to the development, condemning the attack as “totally unacceptable” and vowing to report the matter to relevant authorities.
“This is the residence of a former governor of this state and you can see what happened in front of his house where hoodlums came, shooting,” Obi said.
“You can see how the bullets destroyed the gates. See the cars damaged and everything. That is where our democracy has reached.
“We have a country and we are part of the country. We can’t be having a meeting and hoodlums will come, terrorising citizens. It is unacceptable.
“Immediately we left the ADC headquarters and came to Odigie-Oyegun’s house, the hoodlums started shooting, destroying vehicles. These are bullet signs. They know Tinubu is going to lose in 2027 and they don’t want peace.
“They shot someone at the secretariat. They shot him twice in the head and beat him mercilessly. They also shot another man in the neck, who has been taken to the hospital.
“This thing is becoming terrible. We cannot just continue like this. They ran away when the DSS started retaliating. Those wounded are now at the hospital.”
The incident has heightened tensions in the state, with calls for a thorough investigation into the attack.
