By Osarenren Derek Izedonmwen
The events of Tuesday, February 24, 2026 in Benin City were deeply troubling. A political gathering, peaceful in purpose and constitutional in character, was disrupted first at the African Democratic Congress (ADC) state secretariat on Ogbelaka Street in the heart of Benin City and later at the private residence of H.E. Chief John Odigie-Oyegun. Reports of gunfire, destruction of property and injuries have understandably unsettled many.
This is not about one party. It is about the democratic climate of Edo State and the kind of political culture we wish to entrench.
In moments such as this, responsible leadership requires neither hysteria nor silence. It requires clarity, restraint and a reaffirmation of democratic principles.
Edo State has never been a political backwater. Our history is one of principled assertion and civic consciousness. From the plebiscite that produced the Mid-western region from the old Western region, the first and only plebiscite of its kind in Nigeria, to more recent electoral cycles where attempts at political imposition were firmly resisted, Edo people have consistently shown an aversion to domination and a preference for pluralism.
Recent political rhetoric in our state deserves reflection. We have heard suggestions that visiting national political actors could not be guaranteed security without informing the incumbent sub-national authority. We have heard political machinery being described as a truck with *”no brake, no gear and no sense”*, one descending powerfully and without restraint. Such language may be intended as bravado, but in tense environments, words are never neutral. They signal tone. They shape conduct.
Any stable government rests on law, not impulse. When *political competition* is framed as a threat rather than a constitutional right, institutions weaken and tensions rise.
Let me be clear: allegations must be investigated, and no one should be condemned without evidence. The responsibility of determining culpability lies squarely with our law enforcement agencies. I therefore call on the Commissioner of Police in Edo State and relevant security authorities to conduct a thorough, transparent, and impartial investigation into the incidents of February 24, 2026. The findings should be made public. Justice must not only be done; it must be seen to be done.
Beyond the immediate incident lies a deeper concern. The normalisation of political hostility.
Today’s ruling party was yesterday’s opposition. Many within its ranks know intimately what it feels like less than eighteen months ago, to operate under pressure from incumbency. That lived experience should produce empathy, not escalation. Democratic maturity requires that those who once demanded that the opposition be given space to breath, must now guarantee that same space. Opposition is not sabotage. It is the *”oxygen”* that any healthy democracy thrives on.
Today, the ADC has evolved into a veritable political platform for a growing national coalition. That evolution is organic, constitutional and legitimate. Coalitions are a feature of democratic systems across the world. Attempts to intimidate emerging political formations rarely weaken them. To the contrary, history shows they often strengthen them.
Edolites must resist any drift toward a “no opposition” mentality. That road leads to instability and anarchy. We do not need to look far for cautionary examples of what such anarchy brings in its wake. Less than a generation ago, security instability in parts of the Niger Delta contributed in no small measure, to the mass relocation of major businesses from cities such as Warri to environments believed to be more stable, like Lagos. The consequences were severe. Capital flight, job losses and reputational damage lingered long after tensions subsided.
Security and investment move together. Once a state acquires notoriety for politically driven violence, recovery becomes costly and slow.
To political leaders across parties, I urge restraint in speech and discipline in conduct. Leadership is measured not by how forcefully power is asserted, but by how responsibly it is exercised. The incumbent of today may become the opposition of tomorrow. The democratic space we shape now is the one we may one day occupy.
To our security services: your loyalty is to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, not to individuals or parties. Neutrality is professionalism. The preservation of our democratic space depends on your impartiality.
To ADC party faithfuls, I appeal for calm. Provocation must not be met with retaliation. Strength is best demonstrated through discipline.
To those injured and to those who suffered property loss, I extend my solidarity and wishes for full recovery. Violence diminishes us all.
Our state stands at a crossroads. We can choose escalation, where reckless metaphors and territorial warnings become self fulfilling prophecies. Or we can choose institutional maturity, where competition is vigorous but peaceful and where the rule of law prevails over the rule of muscle. The path we choose will shape not only our politics but our economic future and our reputation.
Let our work speak louder than our threats.
Let our ideas compete rather than our tempers.
Let Edo remain what it has always been, resilient, principled and impossible to intimidate.
Democracy is strongest not when opposition is crushed but when it is protected.
That is the Edo way!
Osarenren Derek Izedonmwen was the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in the 2024 Edo State gubernatorial election._
