The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has alleged that he is being systematically targeted and frustrated by the President Bola Tinubu administration, claiming that the level of hostility against him has become so intense that he cannot rule out the possibility of losing his life.
Speaking during an interview with media entrepreneur Chude Jideonwo, Obi said the government had allegedly made deliberate efforts to frustrate virtually every aspect of his public and private life because of his political position.
According to him, the situation has gone beyond concerns about contesting future elections.
“The way they are going now, truly, I might not even be a candidate. Not even a candidate. I might not even be alive,” Obi said.
The former Anambra State governor alleged that the government was orchestrating sustained harassment against him through indirect means, insisting that the attacks had become a daily occurrence.
“I’m telling you, every single thing I do for a living, this government is frustrating me. Deliberately so. Everything.
“There’s even the possibility that if they have an opportunity, I will not be alive,” he stated.
Obi maintained that the alleged intimidation was not limited to him alone but extended to other Nigerians perceived to hold opposing political views.
“They’re attacking everybody who is in the opposition personally. I am being attacked personally. Everything.”
He further claimed that he had been denied privileges and courtesies ordinarily accorded to him, alleging that government influence had seeped into public institutions.
Recalling what he described as a recent incident at an airport, Obi alleged that airport officials deliberately locked his vehicle while allowing others to remain parked in the same area.
“I had a case recently at the airport where people who work there came and locked my car. I said, ‘It’s me.’ The person on the other side said it didn’t care.
“I said, ‘Look at the cars of other people.’ You could see them talking to each other as if, ‘Who is this one?'” he recounted.
The former Labour Party presidential candidate also claimed that many Nigerians now avoid openly associating with him for fear of attracting government reprisals.
“To the extent that people I know at the airport will not even greet me because they are afraid that if they greet me, they become targets of the government.”
Obi further alleged that some supporters who initially invited him to family events later withdrew the invitations out of fear of possible consequences.
“I have people who send me invitations and say, ‘My son or my daughter is waiting.’ But later they plead, ‘Please don’t come.'”
Lamenting what he described as growing political intolerance, Obi accused the current administration of deepening divisions across the country and breeding fear among citizens.
“We have divided the country, breeding hatred among ourselves. That’s why I keep saying I want to bring back unity where there is division. I want to show love, compassion and care. It’s gone out of our society.”
