National Democratic Congress ,presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has demanded the immediate release of his supporter, Rilwan Olawale, condemning what he described as the continued intimidation and harassment of his supporters across the country.
Obi made the demand in a statement in which he described Olawale’s arrest as disturbing and unacceptable, calling for transparency regarding the circumstances of his arrest and respect for his fundamental rights.
He also called on President Bola Tinubu to uphold democratic values, accusing him of benefiting from democracy while allegedly encouraging actions that undermine it.
“President Bola Tinubu has remained a huge beneficiary of our democracy and should not brazenly be destroying it by encouraging and facilitating violence,” Obi said.
The former Anambra State governor said his campaign remained peaceful and focused on providing Nigerians with an alternative built on competence, accountability, justice and compassion.
According to him, his political movement has chosen “the path of peace, not violence; persuasion, not intimidation.”
Obi, however, warned against interpreting his commitment to peaceful engagement as weakness, insisting that he and his supporters would not be intimidated into silence.
“Nobody should mistake our civility for weakness, our restraint for fear, or our commitment to peace for an absence of resolve,” he said.
He added that his supporters would continue to stand by Nigerians who believe in his vision of a better country.
Obi further demanded Olawale’s release and an end to what he described as politically motivated harassment, stressing that Nigerians should be free to support candidates of their choice without intimidation.
“No government or political party has the right to deny Nigerians the freedom to support a candidate of their choice,” he said.
He maintained that his movement would remain peaceful while pursuing its demands through lawful means.
“We will not resort to violence, but we will stand firmly and lawfully against every attempt to undermine our democratic rights,” Obi said.