The Price of Mercy: Why the “Soul of Nigeria” is Being Strangled in Edo State

History in Nigeria does not just repeat, it bleeds. On July 27, 2006, the “Soul of Lagos” was arguably buried with Funsho Williams, a man whose only crime was being the most credible threat to the burgeoning political machine of then-Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Fast forward to February 24, 2026, and the target has moved from a state to the nation. The recent assassination attempt on Peter Obi in Edo State is not a random act of thuggery, it is the modern manifestation of a decades-old blueprint designed to eliminate any alternative to the status quo.

Repaying ₦15 Million in Generosity with Bullets

There is a profound, sorrowful irony in the events leading up to the gunfire at Chief John Odigie-Oyegun’s residence. Peter Obi entered Edo State not with an army, but with a chequebook dedicated to the common good. He donated ₦15 million of his personal funds to the St. Philomena College of Nursing to bolster medical studies, a direct investment in the very healthcare infrastructure that this administration has allowed to decay.

In a sane society, a sitting governor would welcome a private citizen cushioning the state’s failures. Instead, Governor Monday Okpebholo had spent months issuing verbal “stay-away” orders, claiming Obi’s security “would not be guaranteed” without state permission. When the gunmen in unmarked Siennas finally opened fire on Obi’s motorcade, they weren’t just shooting at a politician, they were shooting at the hand that feeds the neglected Nigerian Medical student. It is a heartbreaking reality: Obi gave his wealth to save Edo’s future, and in return, they tried to take his life.

The “Tinubu Blueprint”: From Lagos to the Presidency

To understand the fear radiating from the Presidency today, one must look back at the “Jagaban” style of politics that defined the early 2000s. Just as Funsho Williams was a threat to Tinubu as a sitting governor, Peter Obi remains a mortal threat to the current establishment as a private citizen.

One must ask: If the sitting President is performing so brilliantly, why is he so terrified of a man who holds no office? The answer lies in the “Soul of Nigeria” struggle. Just as Williams represented a “gentlemanly” alternative to the Lagos machine, Obi represents a “people-powered” alternative to the national structure. This fear has translated into a dangerous permissive environment where:

• APC Governors openly issue illegal “bans” on opposition movement.
• Public Threats by party loyalists like X user “Engr. Tom Steve” go unpunished, with the perpetrator boasting on social media that his “men” in Rivers State “no dey miss target.”
• Impunity reigns as these individuals walk free, seemingly protected by the very law enforcement agencies meant to restrain them.

The Canadian Declaration: A Terrorist Organization?

The normalization of this violence has reached a global boiling point. In June 2025, a Canadian Federal Court took the unprecedented step of labeling the APC as an organization involved in political subversion and systematic violence. While the government dismissed the “terror tag”, the bullet holes in the gates of Benin City offer a different testimony. When a political party uses intimidation, security “warnings,” and targeted assassinations to maintain power, it ceases to be a democratic entity and begins to function as a terrorist cell.

Will Nigeria’s Soul Survive?

The struggle for “The soul of Lagos” ended in a cemetery in 2006. The struggle for the “Soul of Nigeria” must not meet the same fate. We are witnessing a systemic attempt to turn Nigeria into a one-party state through the barrel of a gun. The perpetrators of the Edo attack are currently walking free, emboldened by a presidency that remains silent while its members lay public threats against an opponent’s life.

Peter Obi survived the bullets in Benin, but the question remains: Can Nigeria survive a political system that views mercy as a provocation and generosity as a declaration of war?

:Peter Obi assassination attempt Edo State

READ MORE: The Bloody Business: How Nigeria’s Terrorism Industry Became Too Big to Fail

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