A former Nigeria’s Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar has reacted to the violent attack on a former Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Mr. Peter Obi, Chief John Oyegun, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor, Olumide Akpata, and other Coalition ADC leaders in Benin, Edo State.
Atiku described the attack as utterly condemnable and unacceptable in any democracy.
Obi and other ADC chieftains were attacked in an alleged assassination attempt in Benin City, Edo State, on Tuesday.
In photos and videos circulating online, several SUV windscreens were smashed, while the gate leading to Odigie-Oyegun’s residence was riddled with bullets.
Reacting to the unfortunate incident via his verified X handle on Tuesday evening, Atiku decried that certain individuals have for a long time been making unguarded statements capable of tearing the country apart.
He said, “In recent times, we have witnessed reckless and inflammatory rhetoric from elements within the ruling party in Edo State, rhetoric that dangerously legitimises violence against political opponents. Words, when weaponised, often precede actions. What happened in Benin did not occur in a vacuum.
”Nigeria is entering a perilous phase in which opposition voices are not only harassed through state institutions but are now being physically targeted. The ruling APC appears to have escalated its intolerance from bureaucratic suppression to open aggression.
Atiku reminded President Bola Tinubu and the nation’s security chiefs that they bear a constitutional responsibility to guarantee the protection of lives and property without discrimination or partisanship.
He also stated that the safety of opposition leaders and supporters is not a favour, but a democratic obligation, advising them not to allow Nigeria descend into a theatre where politics is settled by violence.
Atiku Reacts to Attack on Obi, other ADC Chieftains in Edo
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