The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, Jarrett Tenebe, has declared his hatred for the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi.
Tenebe also threatened to spit in the faces of Obi and former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar over claims that opposition politicians were insulting President Bola Tinubu instead of focusing on issues in their campaigns.
The Edo APC chairman made the remarks during an interview in which he defended the Tinubu administration’s policies and explained his controversial “AK-47 fire” comment.
Speaking about what he would do if he met opposition presidential candidates, Tenebe said he would not hesitate to confront them over their criticism of Tinubu.
“If I see them, I will spit in their faces,” he said.
Asked specifically about Obi, the APC chairman declared his personal dislike for the former Anambra State governor.
“As for Obi, I hate him, and I maintain that. If I see him, I will spit in his face and bite his nose. I will pretend that I want to tell him something, then bite his ear and chew it. Take it like that. I hate him,” Tenebe said.
He accused Obi of being insincere, questioning his political alliance with Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who is his running mate under the NDC.
Tenebe argued that the two politicians had conflicting positions on certain issues, using their perceived differences over alcohol consumption to question their ability to govern the country together.
“How can he want to be president with someone I consider his oppressor as his running mate? If the two of them cannot agree on what should be in a glass, how can they govern Nigeria?” he asked.
The APC chairman also criticised Atiku, saying his objection to the former vice-president stemmed from his criticism of Tinubu rather than the personal hatred he expressed towards Obi.
“I do not like Atiku at the moment because he is insulting the president. But I hate Peter Obi because he is not genuine,” Tenebe added.
He defended his position by arguing that political campaigns should focus on ideas rather than personal attacks, insisting that he would not remain silent when opposition figures criticised the president.
“People should stop insulting the president. I then expressed my wish for our enemies,” he said while explaining his earlier controversial comments.
The Edo APC chairman also defended his earlier “AK-47 fire” remark, which had attracted criticism over its violent undertones.
Asked whether the statement was a joke, metaphor or threat, Tenebe denied threatening to attack political opponents, arguing that he had expressed a prayer rather than an intention to shoot anyone.
He maintained that his words had been taken out of context and compared the expression to the Christian phrase “Holy Ghost fire.”
“I said clearly: ‘I have a wish and a prayer for our enemies.’ I said I would not invoke Holy Ghost fire because it would consume the person and the person would die. Instead, I said I would wish them ‘AK-47 fire,’” he explained.
He further argued that his statement did not amount to a threat because he had not told anyone he would shoot them for refusing to support the APC.
“Did I say I would shoot anyone with an AK-47? I did not. I was only wishing it on them. If people say that is wrong, they should also tell Christians to stop saying ‘Holy Ghost fire.’ I used ‘AK-47 fire’ in that same context,” Tenebe said.
He also distinguished between the bullet fired from an AK-47 rifle and the muzzle flash produced when the weapon is discharged, insisting that he was referring to the latter.
“Two things come out of an AK-47 when you fire it: the bullet and the fire. The bullet kills; the fire does not. They are two different things,” he said.
Tenebe insisted that he had never advocated an attack on any political opponent and reiterated his call for issue-based campaigns.
On the APC’s electoral prospects in Edo State, Tenebe expressed confidence that the party could deliver 2.5 million votes for Tinubu in the January 2027 presidential election.
He cited what he described as the party’s performance in the last local government election, claiming that the APC recorded 2,158,600 votes across the state’s 18 local government areas.
According to him, the party is seeking approximately 400,000 additional votes to achieve its target.
Tenebe acknowledged that previous elections in the state had not produced a combined vote total of 1.5 million for all parties but insisted that the latest local government election provided a basis for the APC’s projection.
He attributed the party’s claimed performance to the administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo and its mobilisation efforts.
The chairman also disclosed that the APC had identified more than one million registered voters from Edo State who live outside the state and was making arrangements to bring them home to vote in 2027.
He said the party was considering chartered flights and road transportation to facilitate their return, adding that some supporters and businesspeople had offered assistance.
“If you have your voter’s card and are registered to vote in Edo, you can go to the airport and be brought home. After voting, you will be taken back,” he said.
Tenebe also said the party hoped to secure additional local government areas for Edo State through its electoral support for Tinubu.
He urged residents to vote for APC candidates at the state and federal levels, arguing that victories in the State House of Assembly and National Assembly elections would help advance the process of creating additional local government areas.
The APC chairman maintained that the party’s campaign would focus on explaining the benefits of the Tinubu administration’s policies, including the removal of fuel subsidy.
He argued that increased allocations to state governments following the subsidy removal had provided additional resources to cushion the economic impact on residents.
