The Edo State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Paul Ohonbamu, has accused the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of hypocrisy and disregard for lawful protocol, citing a past incident in 2013 where Obi allegedly detained former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, for 48 hours in Anambra State.
Ohonbamu’s remarks come after Obi’s recent visit to Edo State, which the commissioner claimed violated security protocols and stirred unnecessary controversy.
“Protocol is standard practice, and Peter Obi knows this. He enforced it with brutal efficiency when he was governor. El-Rufai himself admitted that he was detained for 48 hours in 2013. That wasn’t just an abuse of power—it reflected a pathological fixation with the use of raw authority,” he said on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
The commissioner argued that the current uproar from Obi’s supporters—known as “Obidients”—was politically motivated and unnecessary.
“What the governor [Monday Okpebholo] said was not a threat. He only advised Obi to notify the state ahead of any future visits for proper security arrangements. If something goes wrong, it’s the government that’ll be blamed.
“When he visited Edo on 7 July, it was the day the police warned that people should not gather, and Peter Obi violated that order. He’s not the only politician touring states—others comply with protocol, why not him?” he stated.
