A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Olumide Akpata, has described a recent violent incident in Benin, Edo State, as a calculated attempt to intimidate voters and discourage political participation, warning that it poses a direct threat to democracy.

The incident reportedly occurred during Akpata’s formal defection to the ADC, where former Anambra State governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi narrowly escaped harm in what was described as an assassination attempt in Edo State.

According to a statement circulating online, armed individuals reportedly trailed Obi and ADC leaders from the party’s secretariat to the residence of former national chairman John Odigie-Oyegun. The attackers allegedly fired shots at a gate and damaged vehicles.

Speaking during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Friday in reaction to the reported attack, Akpata said the violence appeared designed to send a chilling message to the electorate.

“What I think is that it is just a message being sent to the electorate, a very dangerous message, that you will participate in this process at the risk of life and limb. So, you are better off staying at home. That’s an attack on democracy. Because what you find is that people become reluctant to participate,” he said.

According to Akpata, reports he received indicated that individuals wearing ADC-branded caps at the event were specifically targeted.

He further alleged that one assailant discharged a firearm into the ground, with fragments injuring an individual due to ricochet. He claimed it was evident that the victims’ “offence” was participating in an ADC event.

“The report I got from my cousin was that anybody wearing the ADC cap was attacked and insulted. That’s the information I got. So, they’d take the cap, seize the cap from them, and then hit them with whatever cudgels they had, and all of that.

“One particular person, the guy, had a gun. But he didn’t shoot at the person. He shot to the ground. And there was a ricochet, and then some pellets or whatever it was, hit this particular person. And it was obvious to everybody that their offense was that they were participating in an ADC event.”

Akpata suggested the circumstances pointed toward political intolerance. “When you ask me, who are the people? There are only two players in this game. It is the APC and the opposition. So, for me, we say in law, res ipsa loquitur. The inescapable, the ineluctable conclusion is that the ruling party is sending a message to the opposition that opposition will not be tolerated. It’s unfortunate.”

Akpata also criticised comments reportedly made by Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo, who was said to have described the incident as an intra-party issue within the ADC.

He stated, “I’m told that the governor said that this incident was intra-party, ADC. I’m told that he said that. I didn’t listen to that. And I felt that that was a bit premature. I felt that that wasn’t exactly the right way to approach it.

“I would have thought that, as governor, particularly because Edo is in the news for the wrong reasons, what I expected to hear from him was that we’re going to get to the bottom of this. And we’re going to deal with whoever is responsible for this. Except he has proof, but making assumptions or conjecture based on what he saw on TV the day before, (is wrong). And if he does have proof, he should come out with the proof. But to come up as governor, to just state categorically, (is wrong).” (Arise News)

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