Loading ...AWKA, NIGERIA — Allies and political loyalists of the leader of the Obidient Movement and former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, have raised an alarm over what they describe as a coordinated, state-sponsored campaign of intimidation. They argue that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration is actively using state apparatus and political proxies to frustrate Obi and his close associates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The outcry follows intense debates on national socio-political platforms, with supporters pointing to a timeline of physical assaults, targeted property destructions, and manufactured internal party crises as undeniable proof of political persecution.
“We All Saw the Videos” — The Benin Convoy Attack
Dismissing claims by government spokespersons that Obi is playing the victim card, his loyalists point directly to the terrifying security breach that occurred in Benin City, Edo State, earlier this year.
On February 24, 2026, a high-profile political convoy involving Peter Obi, former APC National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and former Labour Party governorship candidate Olumide Akpata came under heavy gunfire from unidentified armed men in the highbrow GRA axis of Benin City. The daring assault left vehicles severely damaged and gates riddled with bullets, sending shockwaves through the political landscape.
“Those who say Peter Obi’s claim that the Tinubu administration is frustrating him and those around him is false, were they not there when he was attacked in Benin, Edo State?” an aggrieved opposition coordinator stated. “We all saw the videos of the incident. What level of audacity does it take to shoot at a former governor’s residence if there isn’t powerful backing from somewhere?”
The Lagos Property Demolition Controversy
Beyond physical security threats, Obi’s camp argues that economic sabotage is being weaponized against individuals linked to the movement. They cite the sudden, controversial demolition of a multi-million naira commercial property in Ikeja, Lagos, belonging directly to Peter Obi’s biological brother.
| Incident Layer | Key Facts: Alleged Campaign of Intimidation Against Peter Obi |
|---|---|
| Physical Assault | Gunmen opened fire on Obi’s convoy at Chief Odigie-Oyegun’s Benin residence. |
| Economic Sanction | Structural demolition of Obi’s brother’s property in Ikeja without a valid court order. |
| Political Sabotage | Continuous, manufactured internal leadership crises within parties associated with Obi. |
| Official Narrative | Government attributes incidents to local structural violations and internal party friction. |
The commercial structure was brought down by state agents, a move Peter Obi publicly condemned as an illegal act carried out completely without a valid court order or proper prior notice. Supporters insist the demolition was an intentional, politically motivated strike executed via proxy to cripple the economic backbone of the opposition leader’s immediate family.
Infiltrating and Splintering the Opposition
Socio-political analysts sympathetic to the Obidient Movement also note that the administrative challenges tearing through opposition structures are far from accidental. They point to the persistent internal legal battles, leadership factions, and sudden regulatory obstacles that emerge within any political platform Peter Obi aligns with as evidence of state-sponsored destabilization.
While the Federal Government has repeatedly maintained that it does not engage in the targeted harassment of political opponents—dismissing the incidents as a mix of internal party friction and routine urban renewal enforcement by state governments—Obi’s supporters maintain that the pattern is too distinct to ignore. They warn that unless civil society groups and international democratic monitors intervene, the systematic targeting of the country’s most prominent opposition figure could push Nigeria into a fragile one-party state long before the first ballot of 2027 is cast.
