By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Igbo Community Association in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has expressed outrage over the recent comment credited to the Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, in which he reportedly placed a ban on the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, from entering Edo State without his approval or security clearance.
The Association, in a statement signed by its President General, Engr. Ikenna Ellis-Ezenekwe, on Friday, July 18, 2025, described Governor Okpebholo’s remark as careless, irresponsible, and unbecoming of a supposed statesman, especially one who occupies such an exalted office. The group warned that such utterances are unacceptable in a democratic setting like Nigeria, where every citizen has the constitutional right to freely move and associate within the country.
They recalled that during a recent public function in Edo State, Governor Okpebholo had claimed that three persons were killed shortly after Peter Obi’s visit to the state, and went further to label the former Anambra Governor a security threat, while also vowing to bar him from entering Edo State unless he secures clearance from his government.
Reacting to this, the Igbo Community in FCT said it was shocked by such an irresponsible claim and noted that the governor’s obsession with Peter Obi’s activities is unwarranted and an open display of political intolerance. The group maintained that the Governor’s statement was not only provocative but also a sign of deep-seated hate against the Igbo people and anything associated with them.
“It is sad and disappointing that the governor abandoned his responsibilities of governance to concentrate on the travel log of Mr. Peter Obi. He should focus on his duties as a governor and leave Peter Obi alone,” the Association stated.
The group emphasized that Peter Obi remains a free citizen of Nigeria with the full constitutional rights to move freely and visit any part of the country without hindrance. They further described the Governor’s utterance as a clear manifestation of the hate and hostility that certain elements harbour against the Igbo nation.
They lamented that such statements are reflective of the same mindset that has kept the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, perpetually detained without any proven guilt, while also creating unnecessary hurdles for prominent Igbo sons like Peter Obi.
“The politics of blood and do or die must stop. Nigeria is not a one-party system. We are in a full-fledged democracy,” the group declared, while also calling on Nigeria’s security architecture to immediately caution the Edo Governor against making such divisive and inflammatory statements.
According to the group, “This is no longer about Peter Obi, but about the demons that have been holding Nigeria hostage. It is about the real enemies Nigerians have been fighting: poverty of intelligence, playing god, ignorant arrogance, bigotry, and hopelessness.”
They noted that the recent remark by Governor Okpebholo was similar to the action of the Governor of Benue State, who earlier this year also made derogatory statements aimed at Peter Obi, warning that such tendencies could further heat up the polity and threaten the unity of the country.
While demanding that Governor Okpebholo immediately retract his statement and tender an unreserved apology, the Igbo Community Association FCT stressed that Nigeria belongs to everyone, and no citizen should be subjected to discrimination, intimidation, or harassment on the basis of ethnicity, political affiliation, or personal vendetta.
They also urged Nigerians to resist any attempt to divide the country along ethnic or political lines, maintaining that “Nigeria is for everybody.”
