CROSSFIRE REPORTS, condemns the descent to Barbaric, Uncivilized attack on the members of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Benin City on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.
Electronic and Print media reports were replete with the attacks that took place at the ADC Secretariat and the residence of a former elected governor of Edo State, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, who had in attendance, another former governor of Edo State, Engr. Osareimen Osunbor. Others present were Labour Party presidential aspirant in the 2023 presidential election, Mr. Peter Obi and Labour Party Gubernatorial candidate in the last election in Edo State, Bar Olu Akpata and Senator Roland Owie amongst other important dignitaries.
The attack which has been described as an attempted political assassination of Mr. Peter Obi and all the political big wigs in attendance at an event that was held to usher in decamping Labour Party members to the ADC.
This act of incumbent state governments and the federal government not granting requested or available public spaces to political opponents, is an act of scuttling our political process, placing political opponents at an undeserved disadvantage is anti democratic and highly anti people.
To go further to use firearms and other dangerous weapons to try to disperse a legitimate political gathering is criminal and anti constitutional behavior that should face the full wrath of the law.
CROSSFIRE REPORTS therefore, calls on the state and federal governments to absolve themselves of any guilt in this animalistic behavior by allowing our security and judicial agents to do their work without any interference.
WE demand that, the federal government, under whose interest, Edo State is being turned into a ridiculous spectacle in a modern, democratic world, should act fast to absolve itself from the several fingers pointing towards Aso Rock as the “drummer in the bush”, beating the drums of war in Edo State.
If incumbent state governments keep marginalizing opposition parties to the fringes and they respond in self defense, sooner or later, the society will degenerate into a state of anomie which will stifle economic development in Nigeria.
We call on all men and women of good conscience to stand up, speak up and be ready to act to defend Nigeria’s nascent democracy that has been on reverse since the the All progressives Congress took over political power in Nigeria in 2015 and has become even worse now under the Tinubu regime.
