“Obi Is a Troublemaker” — Gov Alia Denies Link to Attack on NDC Candidate’s Convoy in Benue

Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has dismissed allegations that persons linked to his administration attacked the convoy of Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, describing the former Anambra governor as a politician with a history of “stirring controversy” in Benue.

The rebuttal came hours after Obi said his trip to Benue was a humanitarian visit to commiserate with victims of the 2025 Yelewata massacre, and not a 2027 campaign stop.

—Convoy Blocked Near Air Force Base—

Trouble started on Tuesday after videos posted by Obi’s media aide, Esther Umoh, showed a roadblock near the Air Force Base along Boko Road in Makurdi.

“We have just arrived in Benue State, where alleged sponsored thugs have blocked Boko Road by the Air Force Base, attempting to prevent Peter Obi from gaining access into the state,” Umoh wrote on X.

Another clip showed individuals running after vehicles in the convoy. The identities of those involved and what triggered the confrontation could not be independently verified.

—Alia Camp: “Don’t Drag Us Into NDC Internal Matters”—

Reacting, Alia’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, said the state government had nothing to do with the incident.

He accused Obi of trying to drag the governor into what he called “an internal political dispute within the NDC.”

“The Alia administration will not be distracted by attempts to manufacture political controversies where none exists,” Kula said.

Kula further questioned whether Obi actually visited Makurdi, alleging that the NDC candidate had “antecedents of making claims about Benue that the government considered untrue.”

He argued that Obi posed no political threat to Alia, and that even if he did, the governor would rely on security agencies, not thugs.

“Governor Alia is a Catholic priest and a peace-loving leader. His government neither patronises nor deploys thugs for political or security purposes,” he said.

Kula also asked why Obi’s team allegedly failed to notify security agencies ahead of the visit, noting that a presidential candidate’s movement would ordinarily be coordinated with the Commissioner of Police.

He advised Obi to resolve whatever disagreements he has within the NDC, insisting that Benue “remains open to political actors and other Nigerians who come in peace.”

—Obi: “I Came To Mourn, Not Campaign”—

Obi, however, gave a different account.

“I am in Benue today not for campaigns. I only wanted to go to a place where people lost their lives, to condole and show solidarity with them,” he said.

The NDC candidate expressed disappointment over the incident, saying it reflected the “deteriorating quality of Nigerian politics.”

He referenced a speech he made a day earlier at the launch of the Allied Peoples Movement, APM presidential campaign office in Abuja, where he called for “a politics of unity.”

“That was why yesterday… I used the opportunity to plead with our people, let our next politics be a politics of unity,” Obi said.

—What Next—

With both sides sticking to opposing narratives, attention has now shifted to security agencies to establish who blocked the road, why it was blocked, and whether the confrontation was spontaneous or politically motivated.

The 2025 Yelewata massacre, which claimed several lives, remains one of the most traumatic incidents in Benue in recent years.