…An Open Petition to NSA, DSS, Police and Other Security Agencies
By Sebastine Ebhuomhan I Saturday, July 26, 2025
ABUJA, Nigeria – All is not well in the camp of the former governor of Anambra State and ex-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, whose criminal supporters have made my phone line, social media walls and threads their home, threatening my life for supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Monday Okpebholo as well as the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Their calls and messages are clear breaches of my constitutional rights to speech and association factually, accurately and ethically expressed in support of the Tinubu and Okpebholo administrations and exposition of Mr. Obi’s hypocrisy, lies, blackmail and desperation for power.
President Tinubu, Governor Okpebholo, the Federal Government, the Edo State Government, the National Security Adviser, the Director-General of the Department of State Services and the Inspector-General of Nigeria Police Force are hereby notified of the threats to my life from Obi’s supporters, agents, cohorts, collaborators and accomplices since I published a report titled, In Defence of Edo State Governor: Okpebholo said nothing that Obi hasn’t done before; on Sunday, July 20th, 2025.
Since then, I have received many calls, messages and chats. For brevity, I will pick three of the threats: a telephone call, a text message, and a chat.
At 5.50pm On Monday, I received a call from 09166539242. A male voice threatened, “I have read what you wrote for your governor against Peter Obi. I want to tell you that you are one of the problems of this country that we will deal with. I want to let you know that wherever you are, hands will touch you. That place that you are now, hands will soon touch you. I swear,” he switched-off as I made to engage him. A search would later reveal the owner of the phone SIM to be one Ugwu Kelechi Ratzinger, who I suspected to be a software engineer.
I texted him later. “Ugwu Kelechi Ratzinger, you dared threaten my life for writing truth about Peter Obi? I’m sure you’re related to Rev David Ugwu, who’ll not be happy about your criminality. Be sure I’ll handle your threat.” He is yet to reply.
One of the text messages I received came from 08066954034 at 7.52pm on Sunday. The text message threatened: “Idiot. So, you even had the guts to put your phone number in that trash you wrote defending your illiterate governor for his public relations blunder against Peter Obi.” At 3.45pm on Monday, I called the line twice. It rang. Possibly unaware, the owner called back. When I introduced myself, he dropped the call. Never picked again.
My search would later reveal his identity as Ifeanyi Nnadi, alias Splendid Height. I texted him. “Ifeanyi Nnadi, you’re a purported man of the law. Is that the criminal way you practice your law and support your Peter Obi? I’m waiting for your reply before…” Yet to reply, too.
A native of Nnewi, Anambra State, a graduate of Usmanu Danfodio University, and married with three children (photo attached), Mr. Nnadi is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). He is the Principal Partner at Ifeanyi Nnadi & Company. He is suspected to be one of those coordinating for Obi in Sokoto State.
Another particular caller called three times with 08023404042. Unpicked, he followed up with chats. He acknowledged reading my reports in Lagos where he lives. He said he has a problem with APC and the Tinubu government that I support for which reason he would like to meet me anywhere in the country. Although he did not disclose his name, he claimed to be a Delta State indigene, an ex-staff of the National Population Census and a senior citizen.
After pestling him, he gave his name as Anthony Azuka Chukwurah. But my search revealed the phone line is registered to Godhead Ekwueme. I have tentatively fixed our meeting for August.
Further checks revealed they are members of the Obidient Movement, Obi’s political pressure group of ethnic chauvinists, socio-political dogmas, religious fanatics and violent mob yoked together and propelled by the adrenalin of their common hatred for Nigeria and Nigerians not supporting Obi’s desperation for Nigerian presidential power.
It remains unclear if the threats are random or coordinated. But unknown criminal(s) unsuccessfully hacked my account last month.
Obi wants to resolve the biggest problems of Nigeria as president. But his ‘party-less’ condition following his inability to reconcile his factional party has made him an object of derision; unsettled, disorganised and confused. Recent revelation of his disqualification by the ADC constitution has increased his dilemma.
Without informing, acknowledging or calling on Edo State governor as lawful protocol demands of a very important personality or political leader, Obi sneaked into the state on Friday, 7th July, 2025, to donate N15 million to the Saint Philomena Hospital School of Nursing Sciences as part of his 2027 election socio-political visitations. The donation spiked violence and deaths after his departure and prompted a security advisory from Governor Okpebholo, who requested prior information from Obi whenever he is visiting Edo State again in order to guarantee his security as a guest and prevent future occurrence.
Senator Okpebholo’s demand for Obi to respect the lawful protocol he enjoyed for eight years as Anambra State governor had drawn his supporters’ ire. They have now literarily thrown caution to the winds, targeting, threatening and attacking perceived political enemies, the very ills they claimed to be fighting. They have started serving non-supporters of Obi bitter doses of what to expect from a Peter Obi presidency, if he mistakenly assumes power.
It is a security fact that for an Edo State battling cultism and cult-related violence, missionary schools and convents have become the targets of kidnappers and bandits in recent times. The armed criminals believe the leaders and followers of such religious institutions have the wealth to pay ransoms. It is also a fact that Obi visited St. Philomena with the fanfare, razzmatazz and blitz of media paparazzies solely for the purpose of harvesting political gains not minding the dangers such advertised donations expose students, teachers and administrators.
Despite marking Edo as his political target, Obi evaded a Godlier detour to nearby Agenebode, where Catholic priests were still held in kidnappers’ den when he visited, and therefore, in dire need of sympathy and assistance. His consciousness for only evil and tragic news about Edo State resulted in the persona non grata declared on him at all polytechnic campuses in Nigeria by the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) after he lied that three students died during union elections that recorded no fatality at Auchi Polytechnic.
As Anambra State governor, Obi did far worse than mere security advisory Okpebholo issued. In 2013, Obi arrested and detained his new political ally and fellow ADA coalition leader Mallam Nasir El-Rufai for 48 hours in a hotel room for not paying him a courtesy call during a governorship bye-election monitoring.
Recalling his bitter experience at an Arewa Joint Committee interactive session in Kaduna State for 2019 presidential election candidates as Daily Trust reported on Monday, 17th October, 2022, Governor El-Rufai said he went to Anambra State to monitor the bye-election of the Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige, whose APC contested against Obi’s All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Mr. Willie Obiano of Obi’s APGA won the election. The arrest prevented El-Rufai from monitoring the election for APC. Obiano would later accuse Obi of demanding money from him in return for making him a governor.
Though it took Aisha Yesufu 12 years to discover that the DSS, not Obi, detained El-Rufai; does any security agency make non-crime-related arrest of visiting very important personality without the permission of the state’s chief security officer? As for Obi’s other followers foaming from their mouths, irrationally questioning Governor Okpebholo’s rational advisory, they need not be reminded about the late Ahmed Gulak who died in Igboland, with many questioning the government of the state where unknown gunmen rained bullets on him for no offence. If a similar fate had befallen Obi in Edo State, who would take the blame?
As fellow ex-governors, Senator Adams Oshiomhole and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike have counselled, the advisory is in order. Governor Okpebholo has courageously reiterated his directive. Whether respected or not, it stands for Obi and others.
For those urging American ban on Governor Okpebholo and other key officials, President Donald Trump’s global peace and security-focused administration is aware that Nigeria’s South-South is most secure compared to Obi’s South-East.
I respectfully urge Mr. Obi to rein in his disrespectful, unruly, intolerant, violent, and criminal supporters even as their threats can not make me retrace a step from promoting Edo State people, government, and governor as well as a greater Nigeria under President Tinubu’s leadership.
NB: Mr. Sebastine EBHUOMHAN is an award-winning journalist and a media consultant from Edo State, who freely supported Monday Okpebholo to become state governor. He can be reached on: [email protected] and 08037204620.
