"You Can’t Stop the Movement!" — Peter Obi’s Supporters Reclaim Lagos Streets, Turn Thug Attack Into a Victory Parade

Hillary Michael · Politics · Nov 12, 2026

They came with cutlasses, cudgels, and stones—but they left with their tails between their legs.

The attack unfolded at Classic Event Place on Kudirat Abiola Way, Oregun, at about 11 a.m. on Thursday. According to eyewitness accounts, the hoodlums—armed with cutlasses, cudgels, and stones—approached the venue and attempted to force their way into the main hall, where supporters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) had gathered ahead of Peter Obi’s arrival. The atmosphere had been peaceful moments before, with supporters singing and dancing in anticipation of the town hall meeting. But the situation quickly degenerated into chaos.

A correspondent for the Nigerian Tribune who was outside the venue overheard the attackers speaking in Yoruba, saying the NDC supporters were “few and could easily be overpowered”. Some were even heard asking their superiors for permission to invade the venue with firearms—a chilling detail that suggests the attack was planned, not spontaneous. The pandemonium that followed forced motorists on Kudirat Abiola Way to make U-turns or take alternative routes, while pedestrians fled for their lives.

But the NDC supporters did not simply scatter. Some fought back, throwing chairs at the invaders. Videos from the scene showed supporters dressed in blue shirts and white fez caps chasing the thugs out of the hall, catching one of them in the car park and striking him repeatedly with sticks. Police officers eventually fired shots into the air to disperse the crowd and restore order.

Then came the moment that defined the day. Rather than disperse permanently, the supporters regrouped and took to the streets of Lagos, chanting victory songs and expressing their support for Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso. Videos of the march quickly spread online, showing a crowd that had been attacked minutes earlier now marching with renewed energy, chanting the names of their candidates. The irony was unmistakable: the thugs had come to silence them, and instead, they had given the movement a stage.

The attack is the latest in a troubling pattern of violence targeting the NDC and Peter Obi’s campaign ahead of the 2027 general election. Just days ago, supporters were attacked in Asaba, Delta State, where one person was reportedly killed and several others injured. Obi’s convoy was also ambushed in Calabar, Cross River State, in early November, with thugs throwing stones and bottles at vehicles and supporters. The Oregun incident has already drawn condemnation, with businessman Isaac Fayose describing it as “evil”.

Despite the chaos, Peter Obi proceeded with the town hall meeting, arriving at the venue after the attack to address supporters. His presence was itself a statement: the campaign would not be derailed by violence. For the people of Lagos, Thursday was a reminder that in Nigeria’s political arena, the line between disruption and determination is thinner than anyone imagined. The thugs may have brought cutlasses, but the supporters brought something far more powerful—the refusal to be chased away.