This Tuesday, the visit by the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Party (NDP), Mr Peter Obi, to the Yelwata community ran into a hitch as irate youths said to be allegedly mobilised by the Benue State government made it impossible for the Anambra State governor to visit the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp that once caused reverberations across the globe. What happened this week painted a complex, volatile landscape of desperation, where politicians deploy the quest for power, even if it means using humanitarian empathy for electoral triumph.
Travelling along the Makurdi-Gboko Road, Obi’s mission was explicitly labelled as a humanitarian and condolence visit to Yelwata in the Guma Local Government Area of the state. Yelwata is a community mourning the horrific loss of nearly 200 lives to armed herders’ attacks last year. The attempt by the NDC flagbearer last year ran into stormy waters as the former Labour Party’s presidential candidate was barred. The incident triggered a fierce war of words between Obi’s political camp and the Benue State Government led by Governor Hyacinth Alia, exposing deep-seated partisan animosities, the weaponisation of state power, and the early, aggressive manoeuvring ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Recalling Yesterday
As hundreds of youths blocked Obi’s convoy near the Nigerian Air Force base airport junction in Makurdi, protesters chanting anti-Obi slogans created a tense standoff that lasted hours, effectively trapping the former Anambra State Governor and his entourage. Obi, who has historically used humanitarian visits to IDP camps, schools, and hospitals to maintain grassroots connections, travelled to the state to distribute relief materials and offer condolences to victims of the recurring agrarian violence in the state.
The aftermath of the blockade saw rapid escalation, as the NDC, through its state publicity secretary, Agile Bem Ordedoo, categorically accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Benue State Government of deliberately mobilising and sponsoring thugs to orchestrate the attack. The Benue State APC, through Benedict Yaweh, vociferously denied the allegations. The rhetorical face-off and mutual recriminations underscored the negative partisanship ripping across the parties ahead of next year’s poll. Obi decried the state of Nigerian politics as “political rascality” and structural intolerance. He defended his presence as strictly humanitarian, sharply contrasting it with his recent smooth, warm reception in Plateau State, where he carried out a similar condolence mission without state interference.
Benue Government
The Benue State Government countered with a defensive yet aggressive posture, insisting it had no direct involvement in the youth blockade. Statements emerging from government circles indicated that the state could not guarantee Peter Obi’s safety if he insisted on bypassing local administrative channels. The administration argued that political figures frequently exploit the security vulnerabilities and grief of the Benue people to stage political theatre under the guise of philanthropy. This created a paradoxical situation in which a sitting governor, tasked with the constitutional responsibility of maintaining law and order, openly admitted an inability or unwillingness—to secure a high-profile national figure within his territory.
The blockade immediately drew widespread national condemnation from cross-party coalitions and civil society organisations, elevating the regional face-off to a national debate on constitutional rights. The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) issued a stern rebuke, declaring that restricting Obi’s movement was a flagrant violation of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which explicitly guarantees every citizen the freedom of movement and association. IPAC argued that at a time when Benue State was actively bleeding from terrorist and bandit attacks, deploying state-aligned youth energy to block opposition figures was a dangerous misdirection of state aggression.
Former Kano State Governor and the NDC presidential running mate Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) also weighed in, warning that such hostile political containment strategies bordered on implicit threats to life. In response to the growing national outrage, the Nigeria Police Force intervened, confirming the disruption and announcing the arrest of 46 suspects linked to the Makurdi blockade. The police intervention has provided a semblance of institutional accountability. Further investigations are now imperative.
The Buhari Example
Ahead of the 2011 presidential polls, then presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd, was set to commence his campaign in Kaduna, where he had lived most of the time. However, he felt it was appropriate to pay a courtesy visit to the governor, Sir Patrick Yakowa. This single gesture reflected the decent politics of the past, where being in another party did not mean a call to war. At the end of the visit, as Yakowa was seeing off his guest, he said, “I wish you good luck”. Both of them laughed at the implications of the parting message.
Politics is right only when it serves as a platform to advance the ideals of democracy and protect citizens’ rights. As the Chief Security Officer of Benue State, Obi was expected, though as an opposition figure, to notify Governor Alia of his visit. We must not allow what happened in Makurdi to happen again. Fortunately, police have arrested at least 46 people in connection with the incident. The police are now responsible for interrogating suspects and uncovering the reasons behind the blockade.
What Must Stop
In a country where millions of citizens are internally displaced due to insecurity, politicians must avoid any situation that could lead to a security breach and undermine Nigeria’s democratic stability. Those aspiring to lead must desist from engaging in issues that can inflame passion. Obi, being a member of the Catholic Church, should have reached out to the Governor, who is a Catholic priest, to avoid the Tuesday incident. To advance democracy, we must avoid electoral volatility. As Nigeria edges closer to the 2027 polls, the incident should serve as a critical warning for all stakeholders to avoid any situation that promotes divisiveness for electoral victory.
