Benue State Government has rejected Peter Obi’s account of his recent visit to the state, accusing the former Anambra Governor of breaching security protocol by arriving without formally notifying the relevant authorities, after his convoy was reportedly blocked by a mob.
Gatekeepers News reports that Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, was in Benue to sympathise with victims of the 2025 Yelewata massacre when his convoy was reportedly blocked along Gboko Road by a group of suspected thugs. Videos shared on social media showed people wielding sticks and chasing the convoy.
The former Anambra Governor alleged that the thugs were led by an aide to Governor Hyacinth Alia and questioned why he was prevented from accessing the area.
But Tersoo Kula, chief press secretary to Alia, dismissed the allegation as “lies”, saying the state government had no prior knowledge of Obi’s visit.
“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.
He described Alia as “a peace-loving Reverend gentleman” who does not “engage, patronize, or deploy thugs as instruments of governance or security.”
The government also questioned why Obi arrived without formally informing the relevant security authorities, saying such notification was necessary for a presidential candidate visiting the state.
Kula said it was “curious that an individual presenting himself as a presidential candidate could arrive in a state without the relevant security authorities being formally informed of his movement.”
He further accused Obi of attempting to link the alleged incident to the Governor without evidence.
“We really find it difficult to understand the basis for Mr. Obi’s attempt to connect every fabrication with the Benue State Government, and Governor Hyacinth Alia in the first instance,” Kula said.
The state government said Benue remained open to political actors and other visitors who came peacefully, stressing that the incident should not be used to create unnecessary political tension.
The development comes amid increasing political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Obi and other opposition politicians intensifying consultations and engagements across the country.
