Attack on Lagos town hall shows Obi remains popular, says Doherty
The governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Lagos State, Funso Doherty, has described the resistance by supporters of the party against hoodlums who attacked a town hall meeting in Oregun as evidence that Peter Obi remains popular in the state and across the country.
Doherty made this known during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Thursday, following an attack by suspected political thugs who invaded the venue with cutlasses, cudgels and stones.
The attack reportedly caused pandemonium as participants scampered for safety, while several vehicles were damaged and some attendees injured.
Doherty said the attackers were, however, resisted by participants who were determined to ensure that the event went ahead as planned. He added that the police later arrived at the venue to restore order, allowing the meeting to proceed successfully.
According to him, the incident demonstrated that Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, still enjoys considerable support in Lagos, where he defeated President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.
“Those guys came in today probably thinking they would have an easy ride. They would come in and do what they might normally do, scatter things and people would run away. But people were not in that frame of mind,” Doherty said.
He added that the reception Obi continued to receive across the country showed that his supporters had not lost enthusiasm ahead of the 2027 general election.
Doherty also dismissed concerns that Obi’s defection to the NDC, a relatively new political party, could affect his chances in the 2027 presidential election, arguing that voters were more concerned about individual candidates than the age of their political platforms.
