Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly denounced the assassination attempt on former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and other leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Edo State.
Earlier, Tori News had reported that Obi and other ADC leaders came under deadly attack during the formal declaration of Olumide Akpata into the ADC in Benin City.
Obi’s motorcade was riddled with bullets following the unprovoked attack.
Reacting, Atiku, in a statement on Tuesday night, said the attack is “utterly condemnable and unacceptable in any democracy.
“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.
“Bola Tinubu and the nation’s security chiefs bear a constitutional responsibility to guarantee the protection of lives and property without discrimination or partisanship. The safety of opposition leaders and supporters is not a favour; it is a democratic obligation.
“Nigeria must not descend into a theatre where politics is settled by violence.”
