African Action Congress presidential candidate for the 2027 election, Omoyele Sowore, has condemned the reported blockade of Peter Obi’s convoy in Makurdi, Benue State, describing the incident as an unacceptable threat to political participation.
Sowore, in a statement shared on his X account on Tuesday, alleged that the obstruction appeared to have been deliberately organised to prevent Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, from entering the state capital.
He said political candidates should be able to campaign and engage with citizens without facing intimidation, violence or organised disruption.
“I have watched videos showing what appears to be a sponsored blockade and attack on NDC presidential candidate @PeterObi as he attempted to enter the state capital to carry out legitimate campaign activities,” Sowore said.
The AAC candidate condemned what he described as political brigandage and warned that preventing candidates from moving freely could undermine democratic rights.
“No candidate should be prevented through violence, intimidation or sponsored thuggery from campaigning freely anywhere in Nigeria,” he said, urging those responsible to stop the actions immediately.
The controversy followed an incident on Tuesday in which youths reportedly barricaded Gboko Road in Makurdi, with videos showing protesters chanting, “We don’t want Peter Obi.”
The roadblock, reportedly located around the Nigerian Air Force Base and Makurdi Airport, prevented Obi’s convoy from proceeding for a period.
DailyInsightNG reports that Obi said he had travelled to Benue to sympathise with victims of recent killings in the state but alleged that his movement was stopped after youths were mobilised by a government aide.
“I was told that youths, led by an SA (Special Assistant) to the government, have decided to block the road and make sure I don’t go there,” Obi said in a video shared by News Central Television on X.
However, the Benue State Government denied having prior knowledge of Obi’s visit and distanced itself from the incident.
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hyacinth Alia, Kula Tersoo, said the state government was unaware that the former Anambra governor 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,” Tersoo said.
The Benue State Police Command, meanwhile, confirmed that it knew about Obi’s planned movement to Yelwata and said officers provided security for his convoy.
Police spokesperson DSP Peter Aondongu said the circumstances surrounding the roadblock had not yet been established.
“The reason the convoy was blocked by some youths is still unknown. We are monitoring the situation and investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident,” Aondongu said.
The conflicting accounts have left questions over what led to the blockade and who was responsible for organising the protesters.
While Obi alleged that a government aide was behind the obstruction, the state government denied knowledge of his visit, while the police said they were investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.