The Benue State Government has denied having prior knowledge of Peter Obi’s visit to the state after the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, reportedly encountered a blockade during his movement on Tuesday.
Obi was in Benue as part of a planned visit to Yelewata, where he was expected to meet families affected by the deadly June 2025 massacre.
His convoy was reportedly stopped by some youths at Gyado along the Gboko Road, preventing him from continuing to the intended location.
Reacting to the development, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hyacinth Alia, Kula Tersoo, said the state government was unaware that Obi was coming to Benue.
“We are not aware of his coming to the state, and if it were to be security agents that stopped him, it would have been easy for us to find out what happened.
“As presidential candidate of a party and former governor he is a property of federal government and ought to have been given security, where are those security agents around him and if he is going to any state, the security of the host state should know so as to provide security for him,” he said.
Tersoo also rejected suggestions that the youths involved in the incident could have been acting on behalf of the state government.
He maintained that the Alia administration does not employ thugs and argued that there was no reason for the governor to perceive Obi as a threat.
“We were surprised that youth would stop someone, youth can not do anything on behalf of government. Our government doesn’t patronize thugs and in any case Obi is not a threat to the governor, we are not aware that Obi is coming to Benue. Am hearing it from you,” he added.
Meanwhile, the NDC governorship candidate in Benue State, Prof. Terhemba Shija, gave a different account of the events.
Speaking by telephone with our correspondent, Shija said Obi’s visit was specifically aimed at meeting relatives of those killed during the June 2025 attack in Yelewata.
He explained that the appropriate security authorities had been informed ahead of the visit and that both the police and Department of State Services, DSS, were deployed to accompany the delegation.
He said, “Is Obi not a presidential candidate, INEC has lifted ban on campaign and we duly informed police and DSS about his visit to the state they deployed police and DSS to be with us.
When questioned on whether the state government had also been formally notified, Shija argued that the lifting of the campaign restriction by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, meant political candidates could conduct legitimate activities.
“But government is aware that INEC has lifted ban on campaign, do we need to take permission from candidate?” Shija asked.
Shija described the incident as “a demonstration of fear, a clear show that Obi is the man to watch”, adding, “He has come just to see families of victims of Yelewata why should somebody stopped a legitimate candidate after he has officially given notice to CP and DSS?”
Meanwhile, the Benue State Police Command, however, confirmed that authorities were aware of Obi’s movement.