ADC Supporter Shot as Gunmen Attack Edo Campaign Convoy

Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor 

The African Democratic Congress in Edo State has accused political thugs loyal to the ruling All Progressives Congress of attacking its campaign convoy in Igueben Local Government Area on Tuesday evening, shooting a party supporter and leaving the entourage of a former governorship aspirant and a senatorial candidate with what officials described as a narrow escape from death. The attack has intensified concerns over political violence in Edo State less than four months before the 2027 general elections, and it comes barely a week after the APC state chairman was reported to have threatened to deploy AK-47 rifles against perceived opponents.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, during a political engagement by ADC leaders in Igueben. According to multiple accounts, the convoy of Kenneth Imasuangbon, a former governorship aspirant and chieftain of the party, and Herberta Okonofua, the ADC candidate for Edo Central Senatorial District, came under fire from suspected political thugs. A supporter of the party, identified as Jerry Oliha from Ward 6, sustained gunshot wounds and was rushed to the Irrua Specialist Hospital, where doctors were reportedly battling to save his life. In a statement issued by its State Publicity Secretary, Chris Ojeikere, the ADC alleged that the attackers were political loyalists of the APC led by the Chairman of Igueben Local Government Area, Endurance Azemegbe.

Ojeikere said the incident was part of a wider pattern of violence against opposition members and facilities in the state, citing similar alleged incidents in Etsako East, Owan West and Owan East Local Government Areas. He alleged that the Igueben council chairman led a team of gun-toting assailants to attack the entourage of Imasuangbon and Okonofua, and that Oliha was shot at the premises of the Enogie of Igueben. According to the ADC, the attack was the third on the same entourage within the local government on Tuesday, with earlier alleged shootings in Ward 4 and Ward 5. The party said it had informed the Divisional Police Officer in Igueben and called for an investigation into the incident, adding that it would release a comprehensive report on what it described as the APC's policy of violence against the opposition.

Azemegbe, however, denied any involvement in the alleged attack. When contacted, he said he was not in Igueben when the incident occurred and had only learned about it from journalists. "I was not around and I don't know what happened. I am just hearing this from you. I can assure you that I will investigate the matter. I can't say anything about what I didn't know. The thing is strange to me. We are peaceful people and brothers in Igueben," he said. His denial echoed the pattern of claims and counterclaims that have come to define political violence in Edo State, where attacks are frequently attributed to political opponents but rarely resolved by arrest or prosecution.

The Edo State Police Command said it could not immediately confirm the incident. The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eno Ikoedem, said the command would wade into the matter once it was formally reported, a response that underscores the recurring gap between allegations of political violence and the initiation of formal investigations that could lead to accountability. The police have consistently urged victims to file formal complaints, but the reluctance of witnesses and victims to identify perpetrators in an environment of fear and political tension often means that cases go uninvestigated.

The attack occurred barely a week after Jarrett Tenebe, the APC State Chairman in Edo, was reported to have threatened to deploy AK-47 rifles against perceived opponents in the party's drive to deliver 2.5 million votes to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. The ADC's presidential campaign council had called for an investigation into the alleged threat, which raised concerns about political intimidation and violence ahead of the elections. The latest attack has added urgency to those concerns, with the ADC describing it as further evidence that opposition parties and their supporters face a hostile environment in Edo State.

The political context of the attack is significant. The 2027 general elections are less than four months away, with the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, and the governorship and state assembly elections for February 6. Edo State has become a flashpoint in the pre-election period, with the ADC and other opposition parties repeatedly accusing the ruling APC of using state power and sponsored violence to suppress dissent and intimidate opponents. The ADC has documented a series of incidents across at least nine states between July 2025 and September 2026, including an attack on its secretariat in Benin City in February, gunshots fired at the residence of a former Edo governor where political leaders had gathered, and the killing of a party member in Rivers State. The party has accused security agencies of failing to investigate and prosecute perpetrators despite documented evidence.

The attack in Igueben also highlights the vulnerability of political actors and their supporters during the campaign season, when the pressure to mobilise voters and demonstrate strength often creates conditions for violence. The fact that the entourage was attacked three times in a single day, according to the ADC's account, suggests a coordinated effort rather than an isolated incident, though the police have not yet confirmed the circumstances or identified suspects. For Jerry Oliha, the supporter who was shot, the attack has left him fighting for his life in a hospital in Irrua, his fate dependent on the skill of doctors and the outcome of a gunshot wound sustained while participating in a political activity.

For the ADC, the incident is a reminder that opposition politics in Nigeria can be dangerous, particularly in states where the ruling party is determined to deliver decisive electoral margins. For the APC and the Igueben council chairman, the allegations represent a challenge to defend against accusations that have not been substantiated in court but that have become a recurring feature of the political landscape. For the police, the incident is a test of whether they can investigate and resolve a case that involves allegations against a serving local government chairman, a politically sensitive matter that will require a careful and transparent process.

For Nigerians, the attack in Igueben is another data point in a broader conversation about the integrity of the 2027 elections. The National Peace Committee has recorded 60 election-related incidents within one month, including political violence, intimidation, threats and misinformation, and has warned political actors against inflammatory campaigns. The committee has demanded that INEC and security agencies take regulatory and enforcement action against those who breach the commitments of the National Peace Accord signed in August. The Igueben attack is precisely the kind of incident the Peace Accord was intended to prevent. Whether the police will investigate, whether those responsible will be held accountable, and whether the attack will deter opposition activity in Edo State are questions that will shape the campaign in the coming weeks. For now, the ADC has made its allegations, the council chairman has denied them, and the police have said they will act when the matter is formally reported.

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