Kenneth Okonkwo, lawyer and member of the National Working Committee of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has condemned the recent attack on the party’s leaders in Benin City, describing it as an assassination attempt and “genocide against political opponents.”
Speaking on ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, Okonkwo alleged that the perpetrators were linked to government authorities. “This was an assassination attempt by people I can describe as either the governmental people or their agents. This is genocide against political opponents,” he said.
He further accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of seeking to weaken opposition parties to pave the way for a one-party system. “This government has started trying to do genocide against political parties… this was orchestrated by APC to ensure that there is no other party,” he added.
While confirming injuries, Okonkwo said there were no verified fatalities at the time of the interview. “We cannot say that they killed anybody, but other people were injured. We are yet to know about the casualty figures because it happened today,” he stated.
Okonkwo noted that three former governors—John Odigie-Oyegun, Oserheimen Osunbor, and Peter Obi—were present during the attack, highlighting the lack of adequate security. “They withdrew the security of John Oyegun and all the other people. If the security was there, they wouldn’t be attacked. So there was no security, basically. And that’s why I said it’s genocide,” he said.
He confirmed that the incident has been formally reported to the authorities, adding that Odigie-Oyegun received a visit from the Commissioner of Police, though the next steps remain unclear.
