The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, Jarrett Tenebe, has declared his hatred for Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), threatening to spit in his face and bite his nose if they meet.
Tenebe also threatened to spit in the face of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, accusing opposition politicians of insulting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu instead of concentrating on issues during their campaigns.
The Edo APC chairman made the remarks during an interview while defending the Tinubu administration’s policies and explaining his controversial “AK-47 fire” comment, which had attracted criticism over its violent undertones.
Speaking about what he would do if he encountered opposition presidential candidates, Tenebe said: “If I see them, I will spit in their faces.”
He expressed even stronger hostility towards Obi, saying: “As for Obi, I hate him, and I maintain that. If I see him, I will spit in his face and bite his nose. I will pretend that I want to tell him something, then bite his ear and chew it. Take it like that. I hate him.”
Tenebe questioned Obi’s political alliance with Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, his running mate under the NDC, arguing that their alleged differences on certain issues raised questions about their ability to govern Nigeria together.
“How can he want to be president with someone I consider his oppressor as his running mate? If the two of them cannot agree on what should be in a glass, how can they govern Nigeria?” he asked.
The APC chairman said his objection to Atiku was different, insisting that his displeasure with the former vice-president stemmed from his criticism of Tinubu, while his hostility towards Obi was based on what he described as a lack of genuineness.
“I do not like Atiku at the moment because he is insulting the president. But I hate Peter Obi because he is not genuine,” Tenebe added.
Defending his earlier controversial remark, Tenebe denied threatening to shoot political opponents, maintaining that he had expressed a wish or prayer rather than an intention to use a firearm against anyone.
“People should stop insulting the president. I then expressed my wish for our enemies,” he said while explaining his earlier comments.
Asked whether his “AK-47 fire” statement was a joke, metaphor or threat, Tenebe argued that his words had been taken out of context and compared the expression to the Christian phrase “Holy Ghost fire.”
“I said clearly: ‘I have a wish and a prayer for our enemies.’ I said I would not invoke Holy Ghost fire because it would consume the person and the person would die. Instead, I said I would wish them ‘AK-47 fire,’” he explained.
He insisted that he had not threatened to shoot anyone for refusing to support the APC.
“Did I say I would shoot anyone with an AK-47? I did not. I was only wishing it on them. If people say that is wrong, they should also tell Christians to stop saying ‘Holy Ghost fire.’ I used ‘AK-47 fire’ in that same context,” Tenebe said.
The Edo APC chairman further sought to distinguish between a bullet fired from an AK-47 rifle and the flash produced when the weapon is discharged, arguing that his reference was to the latter.
“Two things come out of an AK-47 when you fire it: the bullet and the fire. The bullet kills; the fire does not. They are two different things,” he said.
Tenebe maintained that he had never advocated an attack on any political opponent, while reiterating his call for campaigns to focus on issues rather than personal insults.
On the APC’s electoral prospects, he expressed confidence that the party could deliver 2.5 million votes for Tinubu in the January 2027 presidential election.
He claimed that the APC secured 2,158,600 votes across Edo State’s 18 local government areas in the last local government election, adding that the party needed approximately 400,000 additional votes to meet its target.
Tenebe acknowledged that previous elections in the state had not produced a combined total of 1.5 million votes for all parties but maintained that the figures he cited provided a basis for the APC’s projection.
He attributed the party’s claimed performance to the administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo and its mobilisation efforts.
The APC chairman also disclosed that the party had identified more than one million registered voters from Edo State living outside the state and was making arrangements to facilitate their return for the 2027 election.
According to him, the party was considering chartered flights and road transportation, with some supporters and businesspeople reportedly offering assistance.
“If you have your voter’s card and are registered to vote in Edo, you can go to the airport and be brought home. After voting, you will be taken back,” he said.
Tenebe further said the APC hoped to secure additional local government areas for Edo State through its electoral support for Tinubu.
He urged residents to vote for APC candidates in state and federal elections, arguing that victories in the State House of Assembly and National Assembly would help advance the creation of additional local government areas.
The Edo APC chairman maintained that the party would also campaign on the perceived benefits of the Tinubu administration’s policies, including the removal of fuel subsidy. He argued that increased allocations to state governments following the policy had provided additional resources to cushion its economic impact on residents.
