Former Vice President and 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has condemned a threat issued by Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, against Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Atiku, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, warned that such remarks undermine democratic principles and unity among Nigerians.
“Let it be known that a threat against Peter Obi or any of us is a threat against ALL of us!” Atiku declared, drawing widespread reactions and praise for his firm stand against political intimidation.
Governor Okpebholo had, on Monday, during a rally in Edo where former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Marcus Onobun, defected from the PDP to the APC, issued a stern warning to Obi.
“The man wey say he no geh shishi (referring to Obi), I am sending a direct message to him. There is a new sheriff in town. He cannot come to Edo without telling me, because security will never be guaranteed. Whatever happens to him when he is in Edo State, he will take it. I am serious about it,” Okpebholo said.
The governor further referenced Obi’s recent visit to St. Philomena College of Nursing in Edo State, where the former Anambra governor donated ₦15 million. Okpebholo alleged that the visit coincided with unrest in Benin City, which reportedly left three people dead.
“He came the other day and donate N15 million… Somebody wey say hin no get shishi, where hin get N15 million to donate to people? By the time he left, there was a crisis. Three people died in Benin. So for that reason, tell Obi, he should not come to Edo without telling me,” the governor added.
