Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has issued a warning against threats to opposition leaders, claiming that any danger to the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, is a threat to all opposition politicians.
Atiku’s admonition comes amid a building controversy over Obi’s recent visit to Edo State, which Governor Monday Okpebholo argues must adhere to normal security clearance procedures.
During the inauguration of the New Edo Line Transport Company in Benin on Tuesday, Okpebholo reiterated his earlier position that Obi should inform the state government of his visits, citing security concerns rather than intimidation.
Okpebholo had urged Obi on July 18, 2025, to obtain security clearance before visiting the state.
The governor, speaking at a rally to welcome defectors to the All Progressives Congress, stated that Obi’s visit to St Philomena Hospital School of Nursing Sciences on June 7, 2025, during which he donated N15 million for the completion of school projects, coincided with the resurgence of violence and the deaths of three people.
Okpebholo said, “That man who says he has no ‘shishi’ came and dropped N15m. Where did he get it from? After he left, three people were killed. For this reason, Obi must not come to Edo without security clearance.
“His visit coincided with a resurgence of violence in the state, and this will not be tolerated.”
Warning against what he termed “a threat against opposition figures”, Atiku, in a post on his X handle on Tuesday, said any threat against Obi is a threat to all opposition figures.
He wrote, “Let it be known that a threat against Peter Obi or any of us is a threat against all of us!”
