Jarret Tenebe, chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, has sparked outrage after openly declaring hatred for the 2023 Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi and threatening to smoke out anyone who stands in the party’s way.
In a press conference captured on video and widely shared online, Tenebe doubled down on an earlier controversial remark by the state’s APC-backed governor, claiming Peter Obi must seek permission before visiting Edo.
His comments have been widely interpreted as a direct threat to Obi’s safety and a dangerous attack on democratic freedoms.
“Peter Obi can’t come to Edo without permission because of the kind of hatred that people have for him in Edo State, including me. Many of us have a hatred for him. Anybody who tries to stand in our way, we will smoke that person out,” Tenebe said during the event, captured in a 3-minute, 43-second video posted by @TheBeninBlogger.
The APC chairman claimed that widespread criticism of the governor’s statement was unjustified and that the Labour Party presidential candidate had no business visiting the state without prior clearance from political actors. “It is proper for him to tell the governor before coming so that people like us would be sent on errand outside Edo before he can visit. That is why the governor made the statement, and it is correct, and we support him. Whatever anybody is saying, they are just saying rubbish,” he added.
Tenebe also took aim at the African Democratic Congress (ADC), dismissing the party entirely and warning its members to leave the state. “I also want to send a message to people who call themselves ADC in this state that they should be very careful because we only have PDP remaining, not ADC. So if you want to identify with ADC, you should leave Edo for us,” he said.
The remarks have triggered widespread condemnation from Nigerians online, with many interpreting the chairman’s words as incitement and a clear indication of state-backed hostility toward opposition movements. “They are hell scared; that is all I can see here. This will embolden the Obidients the more to massively support PO in Edo State. However, this threat should not be taken lightly,” wrote @GIbadin.
@MysteryMahn, tagging the Department of State Services and the Nigerian Police, called for Tenebe’s immediate arrest. “If you are doing selective justice, it simply means that you are working for the APC government and do not care about the lives of the people,” he said, warning that “the people would defend themselves and resist with violence and any means at their disposal.”
Another user, @princejH2O, described Tinubu as “worse than cancer,” blaming the growing political recklessness on APC’s reign. “Tinubu is worse than cancer and must be stopped by any means necessary,” he wrote.
Critics are already calling on former APC national chairman and current senator Adams Oshiomhole to publicly distance himself from the dangerous rhetoric emerging from the party’s Edo chapter. “Has Oshiomhole condemned what these guys are doing?” asked @peculiarpat1. “The same Oshiomhole who was NLC president and acted as a democrat?”
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