The Benue State Government has denied allegations that thugs linked to Governor Hyacinth Alia blocked Peter Obi from travelling to Yelewata community, accusing the NDC presidential candidate of making an unfounded claim.
Obi had alleged that his convoy was stopped by youths on the Makurdi-Gboko federal highway on Tuesday while he was heading to Yelewata to sympathise with families affected by the 2025 killings in the community.
But the state government, through the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, said the Alia administration had no knowledge of the alleged roadblock and was not involved in preventing Obi from reaching the community.
“We wish to emphatically deny that the government of Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has an idea of what Mr. Obi is talking about,” Kula said.
The government further argued that Obi was not a threat to Governor Alia and said any genuine security concern involving a presidential candidate would be handled by recognised security agencies, not individuals described as thugs.
It also questioned the circumstances surrounding Obi’s visit, arguing that a high-profile political figure travelling within the state would ordinarily require prior security coordination with the Commissioner of Police and other relevant agencies.
The government suggested that if Obi encountered opposition linked to internal disagreements within the NDC’s Benue structure, such matters should be resolved within the party rather than blamed on the state government.
However, Obi maintained that his convoy was deliberately stopped by youths while he was travelling to Yelewata. He said he chose not to force his way through the blockade because doing so could create confusion and put other people at risk.
“It is ridiculous. Our experience this morning is very very worrisome,” Obi told journalists in Makurdi, appealing to the Inspector-General of Police and other security authorities to intervene.
The dispute comes amid heightened political activity ahead of the 2027 elections and follows an earlier disagreement over Obi’s movement in Benue, when the state government reportedly restricted his planned visit to internally displaced persons without express approval.
