BREAKING: Peter Obi, Other ADC Leaders Escape Assassination Attempt In Edo State
Democracy in Edo State faced a severe test today as armed individuals launched a violent assault on members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), including Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and the party’s leadership, during the formal declaration of prominent lawyer and activist Olumide Akpata into the ADC.
The incident unfolded shortly after the event at the ADC Secretariat in Benin City.
According to eyewitness accounts and party sources, armed assailants trailed the delegation from the secretariat to the residence of Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, a respected elder statesman and former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress.
Upon arrival at the residence, the attackers reportedly opened fire on the gate, unleashing a barrage of gunfire that shattered the calm of the afternoon.
Several vehicles in the convoy were destroyed in the onslaught, leaving bullet-riddled cars and widespread panic in its wake.
Party officials described the episode as a clear and survived assassination attempt on the lives of those present, including Peter Obi and key ADC figures.
No fatalities have been confirmed, but the brazen nature of the attack has raised alarm over the safety of political actors and the state of democratic processes in the region.
“This is not just an attack on individuals; it is an assault on democracy itself,” a source close to the ADC leadership stated.
“We were exercising our constitutional right to associate and declare a new political alignment when armed thugs decided to respond with bullets.”
The ADC has called for immediate and thorough investigation by security agencies, urging them to identify and apprehend the perpetrators swiftly.
They emphasized that such acts of violence undermine the principles of free political participation and fair contestation ahead of future elections.
The attack comes amid ongoing political realignments in the state and broader national conversations about opposition unity and electoral integrity.
