Former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and ex-National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, were on Tuesday reportedly attacked by suspected thugs in Edo State.
Also caught in the incident were senior figures of the African Democratic Congress, who were said to be attending a political event in the state capital.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued in Abuja by Obi’s former campaign spokesman and National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr Yunusa Tanko.
According to him, the attack occurred shortly after the formal reception of Olumide Akpata into the ADC.
He alleged that armed men trailed the delegation from the party’s secretariat to the residence of Odigie-Oyegun in Benin.
Tanko claimed that the assailants opened fire at the entrance of the residence and damaged several vehicles parked within the premises, describing the incident as a failed attempt on the lives of those present.
He warned that the development posed a grave threat to democratic practice in the country.
Photographs and video clips accompanying the statement showed bullet marks on the gate of the residence and shattered windscreens of several sport utility vehicles.
The incident, which unfolded amid heightened political activities in the state, has further deepened concerns over rising political tension in Edo.
The reported attack comes on the heels of fresh disputes over the outcome of the February 21 Abuja Municipal Area Council chairmanship election.
The candidate of the African Democratic Congress in the poll, Dr Moses Paul, alongside members of the Obidient Movement, had on Monday rejected the result announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
INEC declared Christopher Maikalangu of the APC winner of the election after polling 40,295 votes out of 62,861 valid ballots cast. Paul secured 12,109 votes to place second, while the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party scored 3,398 votes.
However, Paul faulted the conduct of the exercise, alleging voter intimidation, manipulation of results, suppression of voters and inducement in several wards, insisting that the outcome did not reflect the will of the electorate.