Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described the violent attack on former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and several other senior opposition figures in Benin City, Edo State, as “utterly condemnable and unacceptable in any democracy.”
In a strongly worded statement posted on his Facebook page on Tuesday evening, Atiku warned that the incident signals a dangerous escalation in Nigeria’s political climate.
“We have witnessed reckless and inflammatory rhetoric from elements within the ruling party in Edo State, rhetoric that dangerously legitimises violence against political opponents,” he said.
“Words, when weaponised, often precede actions. What happened in Benin did not occur in a vacuum.”
Atiku accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of moving from institutional harassment of opposition voices to outright physical aggression.
“Nigeria is entering a perilous phase in which opposition voices are not only harassed through state institutions but are now being physically targeted,” he stated.
“The ruling APC appears to have escalated its intolerance from bureaucratic suppression to open aggression.”
The attacked leaders include Peter Obi, former APC national chairman Chief John Oyegun, former Edo State governor, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor, former Nigerian Bar Association president Olumide Akpata, and other leaders of the Coalition ADC.
Atiku placed direct responsibility on President Bola Tinubu and the nation’s security chiefs.
“Bola Tinubu and the nation’s security chiefs bear a constitutional responsibility to guarantee the protection of lives and property without discrimination or partisanship,” he said.
“The safety of opposition leaders and supporters is not a favour; it is a democratic obligation.”
He ended with a stark warning: “Nigeria must not descend into a theatre where politics is settled by violence.”
The statement comes amid growing concerns over political tension in Edo State following the 2024 governorship election won by the APC.
