Benue Govt Blasts Obi Over ‘Unapproved’ Visit: ‘He Is Looking For Our Trouble’

The state government says the NDC presidential candidate breached protocol by failing to officially notify authorities before his visit, while Obi’s team insists security agencies were duly informed.

The Benue State Government has accused the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, of breaching protocol and “looking for trouble” after his convoy was blocked by youths during an unannounced visit to the state on Tuesday. The incident has sparked a war of words between the state government and Obi’s camp, with both sides offering conflicting accounts of what transpired and whether proper procedures were followed ahead of the former governor’s arrival.

Benue Commissioner for Information, Solomon Iorpev, said Obi, given his status as a former governor and high-profile political figure, was expected to formally inform the state government ahead of his arrival to enable authorities to make adequate security arrangements. “A high-profile person who has been a former governor of a state is coming into the state; he should have written a letter to the State Government,” the commissioner said. He argued that such protocol is standard practice across the country and is designed to guarantee the safety of visiting dignitaries.

“We are supposed to guarantee his safety and protection, but in an instance where no letter was written, we could not guarantee his safety,” Iorpev said. The commissioner further alleged that Tuesday’s incident was not the first time Obi had visited the state without following the required protocol, suggesting a pattern of disregard for established procedures. “This is not the first time he is doing this. He is just looking for our trouble. We are peace-loving and hospitable people,” he said, expressing frustration over what he described as Obi’s repeated failure to observe protocol.

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The commissioner, however, said he could not establish whether the youths who blocked Obi’s convoy were acting against the former governor or had deliberately targeted his movement. According to him, the incident coincided with a meeting involving youths from the 23 local government areas of the state, who could have been traveling from various parts of the state around the same time Obi was passing through the area. He suggested that the blockade may have been coincidental rather than a deliberate act of hostility toward the former governor.

The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hyacinth Alia, Kula Tersoo, also stated that the state government had no prior knowledge of Obi’s arrival. He said the government would have been able to respond more quickly to the incident if it had been informed of the visit. “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, emphasizing the importance of proper notification for effective security coordination.

Tersoo questioned how Obi’s convoy could have been stopped by youths if security agencies had been properly informed and adequate protection provided. “For the youths to have stopped him, it means there was no adequate security, that is, if at all he came. There is something wrong somewhere,” he said, casting doubt on Obi’s account of events. He also rejected suggestions that the youths involved in the incident could have been acting on behalf of the state government, firmly stating, “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.”

However, the NDC governorship candidate in Benue State, Prof. Terhemba Shija, gave a different account of the events. Shija said Obi’s visit was specifically aimed at meeting relatives of those killed during the June 2025 attack in Yelewata, a humanitarian mission intended to console grieving families. 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, contradicting the state government’s claim that no notification was given.

“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. He 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 stop a legitimate candidate after he has officially given notice to CP and DSS?” His remarks suggested that the blockade was politically motivated and aimed at preventing Obi from connecting with communities that have suffered from insecurity.

The Benue State Police Command confirmed that it was aware of Obi’s movement to the state. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the command’s spokesperson, DSP Peter Aondongu, said police operatives provided security for the movement but that the reason the youths blocked the convoy remained unknown. “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. The reason the convoy was blocked by some youths is still unknown. We are monitoring the situation and investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident,” the PPRO said, indicating that the matter is still under investigation.

Obi, speaking in a video shared by News Central Television, said he had traveled to Benue to condole with victims of killings in the state but was stopped on the orders of 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,” he said. He described the blockade as unacceptable and accused those behind it of exploiting hungry, insecure youths for political ends, framing the incident as part of a broader pattern of political intimidation.

Igbo Group Rejects Tinubu Endorsement, Pledges Grassroots Support for Peter Obi in 2027

A coalition of South-East groups says the region has been excluded from executive power since 1960 and insists it is time for an Igbo presidency.

A coalition of South-East socio-political groups has formally rejected calls for Ndigbo to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, declaring instead that the region will rally behind Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). The coalition, comprising the South East Village Boys (SEVB) , South East Electricity Consumers Association (SEECA), and South East Equity Group (SEEG), announced its position at a strategic meeting in Enugu. Rev. Okechukwu Obioha, the group’s coordinator and leader of Njiko Igbo Nigeria, said the decision was based on a thorough evaluation of track records, equity, and the need for effective leadership.

Obioha stated that justice and fairness demand that the South East produce the President of Nigeria, noting that the region has been excluded from executive power since the nation’s independence in 1960. “The South East has never had the executive powers of this country to lead this country, either as a Prime Minister or as a President. So we feel that it is our turn,” Obioha said. He clarified that the coalition seeks only a single four-year term to restore balance to the country’s power-sharing arrangement before power rotates back to the North, emphasizing that this is not a quest for permanent domination but a call for equity and national healing.

Obioha described the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government as a “misfortune” to Nigerians since 2015. He accused the administration of failing to resolve insecurity and presiding over an economy he called “Kwashiorkor-ridden,” a term he used to describe the severe economic malnutrition afflicting the nation. “APC coming into our political space as a political party from 2015 is a misfortune. Before they came in, they intimidated former President Goodluck Jonathan to leave office,” he said. The group also criticised Southeast governors who have migrated to the APC, questioning their decision to join what Obioha described as a “leprosy-ridden political party” that has allegedly weakened the nation’s institutions and deepened the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.

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The Southeast Village Boys Movement, which includes both men and women across the region and diaspora, was created to counter the “City Boys Movement,” a pro-Tinubu campaign group that has been actively trying to buy support from the Southeast through what critics describe as an elite network of socialites. Obioha explained: “By ‘boys,’ we mean the strength and energy that exists in a man or a boy. So it does include both male and female… if you are ready and poised for a change, for the new Nigeria.” The movement is part of a broader grassroots mobilisation strategy, and a coalition of registered voters in the South-East has also launched the Village Boys Movement to register and mobilise one million new voters ahead of the 2027 election, signalling a determined push to translate discontent into electoral power.

Obioha praised Peter Obi for proposing a realistic power sector strategy centred on generating, transmitting, and distributing 10,000 megawatts of electricity to revive the nation’s industrial base, create jobs, and end the perennial blackouts that have crippled small businesses across the country. “Peter Obi has promised 10,000 megawatts of electricity. Let us get new wines. APC people are afraid of Peter Obi because they are squanderers,” Obioha said, contrasting Obi’s detailed policy proposals with what he described as the APC’s record of unfulfilled promises and wasteful spending.

The coalition’s stance is a direct response to movements actively trying to persuade the Igbo to support President Tinubu. The Southeast chapter of the Renewed Hope for Greater Nigeria (RHGN) has been lobbying Igbo leaders to persuade Peter Obi to withdraw from the 2027 race and back Tinubu, arguing that supporting Tinubu’s second term could create a “political debt” that might help the Southeast secure the presidency in the future. The group has said it will approach Ohanaeze Ndigbo leaders and elder statesmen including Chief Emeka Anyaoku and Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe to lead a delegation to Obi, but this strategy has been met with firm resistance from grassroots groups who insist that the time for promises is over and the time for actual power is now.

The Igbo Community Association (ICA) in the Federal Capital Territory has also rejected claims by some Southeast political leaders that the region has reached a consensus to support President Tinubu. The association singled out Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, Minister of Works David Umahi, and Senate Deputy Chief Whip Onyekachi Nwebonyi, insisting that none of them speaks for the Igbo. “The assertion that President Tinubu will sweep all five South-East states in 2027 is completely detached from the prevailing conditions on the ground,” said ICA President-General Ikenna Ellis-Ezenekwe, pointing to widespread dissatisfaction with the current administration’s handling of security, the economy, and infrastructure.

Similarly, the South East chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has rejected the endorsement of President Tinubu by three Igbo governors during an APC rally in Abakaliki. The party described the endorsement as “entirely personal, irresponsible, self-serving and disconnected from the harsh realities confronting millions of Nigerians.” “Ndigbo cannot endorse failure, and Nigerians cannot reward suffering with another term in office,” said ADC National Vice Chairman (South East), Sir Bon Unachukwu, adding that the region’s political future must be determined by the will of the people, not by a handful of self-interested politicians.