Daughter of former Nigeria’s President, Iyabo Obasanjo, has raised the alarm over what she characterised as repeated threats to her life following an attack on a campaign meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abeokuta, Ogun State on Monday.
Iyabo Obasanjo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the Ogun Central Senatorial District in the forthcoming National Assembly election, has said she was putting the United Nations, the United States Embassy in Nigeria and the international community on notice of what she described as a looming threat to her life and the integrity of the January 2027 elections, reports Daily Independent.
The former senator, who spoke in an interview with Splash FM later on Monday, reacted to the violent interruption of a PDP campaign gathering at Ward 16, Trailer Park, Soyooye area of Abeokuta North Local Government Area.
She said she had seen footage on social media of guys, some masked and using cutlasses, purportedly tearing down campaign canopies and attacking people at the event moments before she arrived.
If the escalating violence, as she called it, was not stopped she and her political partners would turn to the world community for attention, she warned.
She added it was not the first time that attempts had been made on her life, citing an event at an election in 2003 when, she said, gunmen opened fire on a vehicle in her convoy, thinking she was in it.
She stated that the attack resulted in the death of all the occupants of the vehicle.
“Now I say it aloud. “And if anything happens to me, the whole world should know who’s behind it,” she announced.
The senator spoke on Tuesday after the PDP campaign rally was disrupted in the Soyooye area on Monday. Witnesses said a gang of armed men stormed the location of the rally shortly before the arrival of PDP governorship candidate, Hon. Ladi Adebutu, and Obasanjo.
The men, alleged to be equipped with cutlasses, axs and other hazardous weapons, were said to be more than 10.
The incident apparently caused the campaign crew to pull back from the site temporarily as the situation grew tense.
Adebutu and Obasanjo subsequently arrived to the campaign field and met supporters that assembled for the event as well as signs of the earlier disturbance including damaged chairs and tables. There were reports other people were injured also.
The politicians later summoned security officials including Ogun State Police Command and the Department of State Services (DSS) and a detachment of policemen and DSS agents arrived at the location.
According to early reports circulating on the internet, some supporters were apparently assaulted and had their mobile phones and other belongings stolen, while campaign materials were also said to have been damaged.
The identities and political affiliations of the attackers, however, had not been independently ascertained at the time of filing this story. Politics:
When contacted on Monday, the Police Public Relations Officer in Ogun State, Seyi Babaseyi, said he could not immediately confirm the details surrounding the event and asked that enquiries be given to him by text message. There had been no answer at press time.
But in a subsequent interview with Splash FM, Iyabo Obasanjo linked the event to what she termed a pattern of threats against her.
She also wondered why her former political acquaintances were still interested in what she referred to as the reasons surrounding her exit from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and her subsequent membership of the PDP.
“They made it plain they don’t want me in APC. “They treated me like shit and I left their party for them and got into a party that openly welcomed me,” she claimed.
“So why are they still worried about me after I resigned from their party and the internal affairs details of my own party PDP?
Obasanjo’s statements have brought a new perspective to Monday’s event as the campaign for the January 2027 National Assembly poll in Ogun State is underway.
She asked for increased vigilance to guarantee the safety of political actors and supporters, and warned that the ongoing violence could have an effect on the conduct of approaching elections.
The senator’s accusations about who perpetrated the act and what their intent was are claims to be investigated and independently verified.
About the Author
