Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly condemned the assassination attempt on former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and other leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Edo State.

The attack occurred during the formal declaration of Olumide Akpata into the ADC in Benin City, when Obi’s motorcade came under heavy gunfire.

In a statement on Tuesday night, Atiku described the incident as “utterly condemnable and unacceptable in any democracy.”

He added: “In recent times, we have witnessed reckless and inflammatory rhetoric from elements within the ruling party in Edo State, rhetoric that dangerously legitimises violence against political opponents. Words, when weaponised, often precede actions. What happened in Benin did not occur in a vacuum.

“Nigeria is entering a perilous phase in which opposition voices are not only harassed through state institutions but are now being physically targeted. The ruling APC appears to have escalated its intolerance from bureaucratic suppression to open aggression.

“Bola Tinubu and the nation’s security chiefs bear a constitutional responsibility to guarantee the protection of lives and property without discrimination or partisanship. The safety of opposition leaders and supporters is not a favour; it is a democratic obligation.

“Nigeria must not descend into a theatre where politics is settled by violence.”