The National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Yunusa Tanko, has described the attack on the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, and other leaders of the African Democratic Congress in Edo State as a deliberate assassination attempt.
Tanko made the assertion on Wednesday, February 25, during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme, where he gave a detailed account of how the incident unfolded in Benin City.
According to Tanko, the attackers trailed Obi and other ADC chieftains from an earlier engagement to the residence of former APC National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun in the Government Reserved Area.
“It’s clear to me that it was just an attempt at assassination because they followed us down to Oyegun’s house at GRA in Benin,” Tanko said.
He explained that the group had first visited Odigie-Oyegun’s residence before proceeding to the venue of the ADC event, a three-storey building where the formal declaration of lawyer Olumide Akpata as a party member was held.
“After a prior engagement, we proceeded to Chief’s house. There, we learned the event schedule and subsequently moved to the venue, a three-story building,” he said.
Tanko said the programme was completed without any disruption but that violence broke out shortly after they left the venue.
READ ALSO: Gunmen Attack Peter Obi, Odigie-Oyegun, ADC Leaders In Edo
“Although we successfully concluded our programme without incident, five minutes after our departure, attacks occurred at the venue,” he said.
He said the group then returned to Odigie-Oyegun’s residence expecting to find adequate security but were instead met with gunfire.
“Footage showed significant damage. We then returned to Chief Oyegun’s house, where, despite expectations of heavy security, all of a sudden we started hearing gunshots,” Tanko said.
The account contradicts the position of Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo, who condemned the violence but suggested it was the result of internal party disagreements rather than an externally coordinated attack.
Obi himself addressed the incident on Wednesday in a statement titled “Thank You, Nigerians,” expressing gratitude for the outpouring of support and drawing a parallel between the attack and the violence in Anambra State that first motivated him to seek public office.
Neither the Edo State Police Command nor any security agency has issued a detailed account of the incident or confirmed any arrests in connection with the attack.