The brutal assault and stripping naked of Dr Pedro Obaseki in Benin City has ignited a fierce war of words between the Edo State chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress.
Dr Obaseki, a cousin of former Governor Godwin Obaseki and a well‑known media figure, was attacked on Sunday at Uwa Primary School, allegedly by a mob.
In a strongly worded statement on Monday, December 29, Edo PDP Publicity Secretary, Dan Osa‑Ogbegie, blamed “overzealous youth members of the All Progressives Congress” for the attack, accusing them of being “a recurring decimal in acts of assault, intimidation, and political violence across Edo State, especially Benin City since last year.”
According to the PDP, the incident was carefully planned.
“What occurred on Sunday was not a spontaneous outburst. It was a premeditated ambush. Dr. Obaseki, who had gone to play football at his regular spot, was accosted by a mob, harassed, threatened with death, stripped naked, and forcibly dragged towards the Palace of the Oba of Benin.
“Videos circulating widely leave no room for doubt. This was barbarism in its rawest form. It was evil, uncivilised, and utterly repugnant,” the statement read.
The party insisted the assault “does not represent the character, history, or values of the Benin people,” describing the attackers as “a disgrace” to Benin civilisation.
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It warned against justifying mob action on cultural grounds, stressing that “no tradition authorises torture, stripping, or degrading treatment,” and demanded the arrest and prosecution of all involved, as well as concrete steps to dismantle political thuggery.
The APC pushed back, accusing the PDP of exploiting the case.
In a response, APC acting Publicity Secretary, Victor Osehobo, called the incident “regrettable and unfortunate” but said security agencies were already handling it and that “common sense demands restraint.”
He alleged the PDP had “hijacked an isolated incident and weaponised it in a desperate bid to smear Governor Okpebholo’s administration and discredit a security architecture that is working and steadily restoring order to Edo State.”
Describing the PDP’s reaction as “political grave‑dancing,” Osehobo said: “Everything else the decaying PDP has vomited into the public space is either fiction, conjecture, or outright political nonsense.”
He insisted Governor Monday Okpebholo’s government has not “sponsored mobs, protected thugs or looked the other way when the law is broken,” arguing that, unlike in previous administrations, security agencies are now empowered to act “without fear or favour.”
Osehobo concluded that the PDP’s rush to blame the APC “without waiting for investigations” shows a party more interested in “shouting, insulting institutions and dragging Edo’s name through the mud for political relevance” than in justice.