By Abiola Olawale
Tension reached a boiling point in Edo State on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, as the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, narrowly escaped what has been described as a targeted assassination attempt.
The incident occurred during a political event in Benin City, where armed individuals reportedly opened fire on Obi’s convoy and members of the “Obidient Movement.”
The attack unfolded during the formal defection of legal luminary and former NBA President, Olumide Akpata, into the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
According to eyewitnesses and a “Red Alert” statement released by Dr. Yunusa Tanko, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, the group was ambushed while moving from the ADC Secretariat to the residence of the elder statesman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
Tanko said: “PO and the leadership of the ADC are under siege and attack in Benin, Edo State.
“At the formal declaration of Olumide Akpata into the African Democratic Congress, armed individuals followed us from the ADC Secretariat to the residence of Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
“They shot at the gate and destroyed several vehicles in what appears to be a successful assassination attempt on our lives. Democracy is in danger.”
