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 was reportedly stopped by youths in Makurdi on Tuesday.
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hyacinth Alia, Kula Tersoo, said the state government was unaware that Obi was coming to Benue and distanced the administration from the incident.
Speaking by telephone on Tuesday, Tersoo questioned why Obi’s security team did not prevent the obstruction and argued that the relevant security authorities in a host state should be informed when a presidential candidate is visiting.
“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,” Tersoo said.
He expressed surprise that youths were able to prevent Obi’s convoy from proceeding and insisted that nobody involved in such an action was acting on behalf of the state government.
“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,” he said.
Tersoo also maintained that the government had not been informed of Obi’s arrival, saying he only became aware of the visit when contacted by the media.
Obi was reportedly travelling to Yelwata to visit families affected by the June 2025 massacre when his convoy was stopped by youths at Gyado Villa along Gboko Road.
The incident reportedly disrupted the former Anambra State governor’s movement, with reports indicating that he later returned to Abuja.
However, the governorship candidate of the NDC in Benue State, Prof. Terhemba Shija, gave a different account of the arrangements surrounding the visit.
Shija said Obi was specifically travelling to Yelwata to meet families of victims of the June 2025 killings and maintained that the campaign team had informed security agencies in advance.
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“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,” Shija said.
When asked whether the state government had also been informed, Shija argued that the lifting of the campaign restriction by the Independent National Electoral Commission meant political candidates did not require permission from another candidate or the state administration to carry out legitimate political activities.
“But government is aware that INEC has lifted ban on campaign, do we need to take permission from candidate?” he asked.
The NDC governorship candidate described the incident as “a demonstration of fear” and “a clear show that Obi is the man to watch.”
He questioned why Obi would be prevented from visiting families affected by the Yelwata killings after the relevant security authorities had allegedly been notified of his movement.
Meanwhile, the Benue State Police Command confirmed that it was aware of Obi’s movement to Yelwata and said police personnel provided security for the convoy.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, police spokesperson DSP Peter Aondongu said the reason some youths stopped the convoy had not been established.
“We can confirm that the Police are aware of the incident involving Peter Obi’s movement to Yelwata. Police operatives provided security for the movement,” Aondongu said.
He added that an investigation was underway to determine what led to the blockade.
“The reason the convoy was blocked by some youths is still unknown. We are monitoring the situation and investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident,” he said.
The police command said further information would be released as the investigation progresses.
The incident has consequently produced differing accounts, with the Benue Government saying it was unaware of Obi’s visit, his party’s state governorship candidate insisting that security agencies had been formally notified, and the police confirming knowledge of the movement while investigating why the convoy was blocked.