On or about 17 July 2025, the Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, publicly warned Mr. Peter Obi not to visit Edo State without informing the state government or obtaining security clearance. The Governor went further to state that he could not guarantee Mr. Obi’s safety if he visited without permission.

Today, Mr. Peter Obi visited Edo State and, tragically, events appear to have unfolded in a manner that gives disturbing weight to those earlier warnings. Reports indicate that he was violently attacked in circumstances suggesting a clear intent to cause serious harm, if not worse.

If these reports are confirmed, this development represents one of the most dangerous threats to Nigeria’s democratic order in recent times.

Nigeria’s democracy is founded on the constitutional right of every citizen to move freely and participate in lawful political activities anywhere in the country. Any attempt — whether direct or indirect — to intimidate or violently prevent a political leader from visiting any part of Nigeria strikes at the very heart of constitutional governance.

This incident is not merely an attack on Peter Obi as a person or political figure; it is an attack on democratic freedom itself.

Allowing political intimidation and violence to determine where citizens or political leaders may go would reverse decades of democratic progress made since 1999, when Nigeria returned to civilian rule.

Indeed, if such actions are tolerated, Nigeria risks sliding back toward a dark era reminiscent of the political intolerance and instability that characterized the period preceding the civil war in 1967–1968, when political violence and regional hostility threatened national unity.

This is why all men and women of goodwill must rise above partisan considerations and unequivocally condemn this despicable development.

There must be a full, transparent, and independent investigation into today's violent attack. All those involved — whether planners, sponsors, or perpetrators — must be identified and prosecuted in accordance with the law.

Justice in this matter will serve as a necessary deterrent and reassure Nigerians that political violence has no place in our democratic system.

Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians. No citizen, regardless of political affiliation, should require permission from a state government to enter any part of the country.

History teaches us that democracy collapses not only through coups, but also through unchecked political intimidation and violence.

This must not be allowed to stand.

Nigeria has come too far to turn back now.

•Obunike Ohaegbu, a Village Boy, writes from his village in Anambra State.

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