Atiku in X Twitter posting of Tuesday spits fire over assassination attack on Peter Obi, Oyegun and others In Benin and says: “The ruling APC appears to have escalated its intolerance from bureaucratic suppression to open aggression.”
The violent attack on Peter Obi, Chief John Oyegun, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor, Olumide Akpata, and other Coalition ADC leaders in Benin, Edo State, is utterly condemnable and unacceptable in any democracy.
In recent times, we have witnessed reckless and inflammatory rhetoric from elements within the ruling party in Edo State, rhetoric that dangerously legitimises violence against political opponents. Words, when weaponised, often precede actions. What happened in Benin did not occur in a vacuum.
Nigeria is entering a perilous phase in which opposition voices are not only harassed through state institutions but are now being physically targeted. The ruling APC appears to have escalated its intolerance from bureaucratic suppression to open aggression.
@officialABAT and the nation’s security chiefs bear a constitutional responsibility to guarantee the protection of lives and property without discrimination or partisanship. The safety of opposition leaders and supporters is not a favour; it is a democratic obligation.
Nigeria must not descend into a theatre where politics is settled by violence. -AA
