By Punch Editorial Board, February 27, 2026
When Governor Monday Okpebholo, in July 2025, cautioned former governor of Anambra State Peter Obi against visiting Edo State and declared that anything that happened to him, “he will take it,” the statement was more than reckless rhetoric. It was ominous, unconstitutional, and profoundly undemocratic.
On Tuesday, barely seven months later, events in Benin City, the Edo capital, appeared to validate public fears.
Suspected political thugs opened fire on Obi’s convoy during a political engagement that included former Edo governor John Odigie-Oyegun and other leaders of the African Democratic Congress.
Obi and Odigie-Oyegun escaped unhurt, but vehicles were riddled with bullets, windshields smashed. Oyegun’s gate reportedly bore the scars of gunfire. The ADC secretariat was left in disarray — furniture overturned, injuries claimed, chaos reigning.
This was not a general election. It was not even party primaries. It was a pre-election political event.
If this is the temperature in the rehearsal, what inferno awaits in the main contest?
Nigeria’s political history offers grim reminders. The “Operation Wetie” violence of the First Republic helped set the stage for military intervention.
The corruption and unrest of the Second Republic ended in another coup. The 2011 post-election violence following Muhammadu Buhari’s defeat left over 800 people dead, according to human rights groups.
Even the 2023 presidential election — in which Obi placed third — was dogged by bitter disputes and allegations that strained public confidence in democratic institutions.
Nigeria cannot afford a repeat as 2027 approaches.
So, President Bola Tinubu must rise above partisanship and act decisively.
Democracy is not self-sustaining. It demands constant defence, particularly from those entrusted with executive authority. Silence at such a volatile moment risks being interpreted as indifference — or worse, acquiescence.
When an assassination attempt was made against Donald Trump in July 2024, his rival, Joe Biden, addressed Americans and urged them to “cool it down.” The message was simple: political competition must never degenerate into violence. That is the tone Nigeria needs now from its Commander-in-Chief.
The President should publicly affirm that every Nigerian — opposition or ruling party member — has the constitutional right to move freely, assemble peacefully, and campaign without fear.
He should direct security agencies to provide adequate protection to all major political actors, not selectively but uniformly.
Why, for instance, was Obi’s security apparently left so vulnerable? Reports suggest that, but for the intervention of the self-styled Department of State Security, the situation might have been worse. The police owe Nigerians an explanation.
The thugs who carried out the attack must be identified, arrested, and prosecuted. Where did they obtain firearms? Who sponsored them?
Political violence in Nigeria often thrives because masterminds hide behind layers of deniability while foot soldiers disappear into anonymity. That cycle must end.
Okpebholo’s inflammatory remarks cannot be dismissed as mere political banter. Words matter.
In fragile democracies, they can mobilise mobs and embolden extremists. His statements should be investigated thoroughly. Immunity may shield a sitting governor from immediate prosecution, but not after his tenure expires.
Nigeria must resist sliding toward the troubling patterns visible elsewhere on the continent. In countries such as Uganda and Zimbabwe, opposition figures have faced harassment, arrests, violent crackdowns on rallies, and legal manoeuvres designed to constrict political space.
Such trajectories erode legitimacy and breed long-term instability. Nigeria, Africa’s largest democracy, must not normalise the persecution of dissent.
Contrast this with established democracies in Europe, Australia, and North America, where elections are civic festivals.
In the United Kingdom and Germany, campaigns are vigorous but largely peaceful, governed by clear rules and strong institutions.
In Australia, compulsory voting fosters civic participation without widespread violence. In the United States, despite deep polarisation, voters queue without fearing gunfire at campaign rallies. Elections are moments of choice — not battlegrounds.
Here, elections often resemble warfare. That perception fuels voter apathy. Why participate in a process that appears predetermined or perilous?
Cleaning up Nigeria’s politics requires structural reform. Real-time electronic transmission of results should be entrenched unequivocally in law to enhance transparency.
Politicians who deploy incendiary rhetoric must face sanctions from the electoral body, and, where appropriate, legal consequences.
Security agencies must demonstrate neutrality beyond a reasonable doubt. The judiciary must rediscover its spine, delivering judgements grounded firmly in law and public interest rather than technicalities that erode confidence.
Ultimately, however, the tone is set at the top.
Tinubu has a solemn responsibility to protect Nigeria’s multiparty system from descending into violent intimidation.
He must call the belligerents to account and insist that ambition never outweighs national stability. He must guarantee that opposition politics is not treated as a criminal enterprise.
The signs are ominous. The rhetoric is rising. The weapons are appearing.
Mr President, speak and act now. Save Nigeria’s democracy before the countdown to 2027 becomes a march toward chaos.
