By Nwabueze Okonkwo
ONITSHA — Social critic and lawyer, Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has urged President Bola Tinubu and relevant security agencies to take preventive measures to protect the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, ahead of the 2027 general election.
Ejiofor’s call followed Obi’s recent expression of concern about his personal safety during an interview on Arise TV, where the NDC presidential candidate said he was not sure he would remain alive until the 2027 election.
In a statement titled, “Nothing Must Happen to Peter Obi: President Tinubu Must Act Now; Protect Peter Obi, Protect the Democratic Space — Nigeria Must Not Wait for Tragedy Before It Acts,” Ejiofor said Obi’s remarks should be treated with seriousness and not dismissed as campaign rhetoric.
According to him, the statement should prompt vigilance, inquiry and preventive action by relevant institutions.
“As I attentively listened to Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the NDC in the 2027 presidential election, speak during a prime-time interview on Arise TV a night ago, I was deeply struck by the gravity of his expressed apprehension about his personal safety and whether he would remain alive until the 2027 election,” he said.
Ejiofor said the concern should matter to Nigerians irrespective of their political affiliation, ethnic background, religious persuasion or preferred candidate.
He also referred to reported difficulties involving opposition politicians during political activities, including the recent incident involving Obi’s convoy in Benue State.
He noted that the incident had generated competing accounts from Obi and the state government, adding that police had confirmed the visit was known and that security personnel were providing protection, while responsibility for the reported obstruction remained disputed.
Ejiofor said reports of threats, inflammatory rhetoric and alleged obstruction of opposition activities should be subjected to proper scrutiny.
“Politics is a contest for the consent of the people; it is not a licence to barricade the people from hearing the alternatives before them,” he said.
He maintained that governors and political parties had the right to support candidates of their choice, but argued that political competition should allow citizens to hear from different candidates.
“The political space belongs to the Nigerian people; it does not belong to any governor, political party or presidential candidate,” he said.
Ejiofor urged the Federal Government, security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, political parties and state authorities to ensure that presidential candidates could campaign peacefully and that citizens were free to listen to and support candidates of their choice.
“It is therefore incumbent upon the Federal Government, security agencies, INEC, political parties and state authorities to ensure that every presidential candidate enjoys the minimum conditions necessary to participate in a peaceful democratic contest,” he said.
He also expressed concern over what he described as ethnic baiting and inflammatory rhetoric, urging the relevant authorities to establish the facts and enforce the law where necessary.
Ejiofor called on Tinubu, as President and Commander-in-Chief, to ensure that the security and democratic rights of all political contestants were protected ahead of the election.
He warned that any incident involving Obi could have wider consequences for the political environment.
“If anything should happen to Peter Obi — God forbid — the consequences would extend far beyond the individual concerned,” he said.
Ejiofor said the focus should be on preventing violence and ensuring that the 2027 political contest was ultimately decided through the ballot and the law rather than intimidation or violence.
“The real test is whether the Nigerian Republic can conduct a political contest in which every legitimate contestant can campaign, every citizen can listen, every party can organise peacefully, and every disagreement is ultimately settled by the ballot and the law rather than by intimidation, coercion or violence,” he said.
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