Obidient Movement Calls for Federal Government Investigation into Edo Attack.
From Our Correspondent.
The Obidient Movement has urged prompt federal intervention following a coordinated assault on former presidential candidate Peter Obi, ex-APC National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and other leaders of the African Democratic Congress in Benin City, Edo State, on Tuesday.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the movement labeled the incident a “premeditated, two-pronged assassination attempt” and requested an independent, transparent investigation devoid of political influence.
“The Obidient Movement unequivocally condemns the coordinated and violent attack on Mr. Peter Obi, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and other ADC leaders in Benin City,” the statement, signed by National Coordinator Dr. Yunusa Tanko, read.
The assault involved armed assailants storming the ADC secretariat on Ogbelaka Street shortly after a rally, then tracking the convoy of party officials to Chief Odigie-Oyegun’s residence, where gunfire targeted vehicles and property.
The movement appealed to the Federal Government to guarantee accountability, urging:
– An immediate, independent, and transparent investigation into the attempt on Obi’s life, independent of any state actors implicated.
– Intervention from the Inspector-General of Police to identify, arrest, and prosecute those responsible and their sponsors.
– A public condemnation from the President of Nigeria and a directive to political figures nationwide to halt all forms of political violence and intimidation.
The statement highlighted that the attack followed threats issued by Edo State’s governor on July 18, 2025, warning that Mr. Obi’s security was not assured without prior clearance to visit the state.
“Yesterday, that threat was visibly translated into bullets. The link between that inflammatory rhetoric and this violence is impossible to ignore,” it stated.
Furthermore, the movement described the incident as part of a wider pattern of intimidation and violence against opposition leaders across the country, asserting, “Things have now regressed from mere rhetoric to actual violence and threats to life. The state’s failure in this regard is evident.”
Reaffirming its commitment to exercising constitutional rights, the movement declared, “We will not be intimidated. We will not back down.”
Additionally, the Obidient Movement criticized the police statement, which minimized the incident to damaged chairs and canopies, describing it as an attempt “to underestimate the severity of what occurred,” and condemned the Edo State Government for dismissing the incident as “an internal party matter,” calling it “an insult to the victims and a failure to protect all citizens.”
