The Edo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Kassim Afegbua, has attributed the recent attack on former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and other political figures in Benin City to internal crises within the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Afegbua made the allegations on ARISE News on Wednesday, suggesting that members of the party who were prevented from attending a key meeting may have been responsible for the disruption that led to the attack.
According to the Commissioner, the ADC experienced a leadership crisis on Monday that continued into the next day, creating bottled-up anger and heightened tension among party leaders. He argued that the fallout from this internal dispute ultimately culminated in Tuesday’s violent incident.
“The crisis we all witnessed on Monday blocked the road that leads to the government house and at some points, I had to make a detour to get to the government house,” Afegbua recounted.
The Commissioner maintained that available information pointed to internal grievances rather than an externally coordinated assault, noting that investigations into the incident were ongoing.
Providing further insight into the party’s internal turmoil, Afegbua explained: “If you listen to the leaders in the video, you will see that there were bottle-up angers and tension among all the leaders of the party to the point that the gate was locked to prevent others from participating in the meeting.”
He suggested that the timing of Peter Obi’s visit may have triggered the escalation. “It was that same incident that snowballed into the crisis of yesterday. I think they sensed that Peter Obi was coming and there was going to be a defection, so those that were prevented from participating orchestrated the attack,” he added.
Peter Obi and other political actors were reportedly attacked during a political engagement in Benin, the Edo State capital—an incident that has drawn widespread condemnation and renewed concerns about political violence in the state.
Investigations into the matter are currently underway as stakeholders await further details on the circumstances surrounding the attack.
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