The Federal High Court in Abuja has approved for hearing a lawsuit seeking an order compelling President Bola Tinubu to provide maximum security for the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, ahead of the 2027 general election.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1648/2026, was filed by lawyers Okere Kingdom Nnamdi and Joseph Enemona Amen, alongside the Incorporated Trustees of Rights For All.
Apart from President Tinubu, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo were listed as defendants.
The applicants are asking the court to declare that Obi has the constitutional right to life and to live without fear, intimidation, discrimination, harassment or threats, as guaranteed under Section 33(1) of the 1999 Constitution.
They also want the court to affirm that Obi “must not be subjected to politically motivated coercion, threat to life, bullying, harassment, assault, intimidation and victimisation whatsoever by any arm of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or any authority, person, individual or group, agents/agencies of the Federal Government or government of any sub-regional state, on the grounds of his political ideology, ethnicity and religion; or for any reason whatsoever.”
The lawsuit was prompted by comments allegedly made by Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo, who reportedly warned Obi not to enter Edo State without first obtaining security clearance from him.
The applicants asked the court to declare that “the threats by the Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, that Mr Peter Obi’s life and security are not guaranteed in Edo State and that Mr Peter Obi should not step into Edo State without getting clearance from him are empty, not backed by law, anti-democratic, illegal, unlawful and tantamount to executive rascality, infantile politicking and power drunkenness.”
Although the Federal High Court has accepted the case for hearing, no date has been fixed for proceedings.
It can be recalled that Governor Okpebholo, during a political rally in 2025, warned Obi against visiting Edo State without informing him or obtaining security clearance.
The governor linked Obi’s earlier visit to a nursing school in Benin, where the former Anambra State governor donated ₦15 million, to violence that allegedly occurred afterwards.
Obi rejected the governor’s remarks, insisting he would not be intimidated from travelling anywhere in Nigeria.
“I am not afraid of visiting any state in Nigeria, particularly when the purpose is to support causes that contribute to nation-building, such as education, health, and poverty alleviation,” Obi said at the time.
He also criticised the politicisation of his visit.
His words: “What I want us (Nigerians) to always be talking about is how do we build a better future for our society. Our society is not going to work by threatening people.”
The presidential candidate added that he expected leaders to support initiatives aimed at improving the lives of Nigerians rather than discourage them. He said, “I went to Benin to invest in a better life for the people. If they have good doctors and nurses, life will be better for them. What I expect the governor to do is to complement efforts aimed at improving society.”
