BENUE GOVT DENIES BLOCKING PETER OBI FROM YELEWATA

 

Alia: We Don’t Use Thugs for Governance, Security — Govt Tells NDC Candidate to Resolve Party Disputes Internally

By Ogbu Ajah  Makurdi

MAKURDI — The Benue State Government has denied allegations by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, that thugs allegedly linked to the state government prevented him from accessing Yelewata to commiserate with families affected by the 2025 attacks.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hyacinth Alia, Sir Tersoo Kula, the government described the allegation as unfounded and rejected any suggestion that the governor or his administration was involved in the reported incident.

The government said it had no knowledge of the circumstances surrounding Obi’s alleged difficulty in accessing the community, insisting that Governor Alia’s administration does not engage or deploy thugs as instruments of governance or security.

“Governor Alia is a peace-loving Reverend gentleman. He is averse to the promotion of thuggery,” the statement said, stressing that the administration remained committed to the rule of law and relied on recognised security agencies to maintain peace and order in the state.

The government further questioned the circumstances surrounding Obi’s reported visit, saying that visits by high-profile political figures ordinarily require appropriate security coordination with the Commissioner of Police and other relevant agencies.

It said the state government would not be distracted by what it described as attempts to create political controversies, adding that its focus remained on governance, security and the welfare of Benue residents.

The government also suggested that any disagreements involving Obi and the NDC’s political structure in Benue should be addressed within the party rather than attributed to the state administration.

It urged members of the public to disregard allegations linking Governor Alia or the Benue State Government to any incident involving the NDC presidential candidate.

The government, however, stressed that Benue remained open to legitimate visitors, political actors and Nigerians who come to the state peacefully.

The controversy followed Obi’s reported attempt to visit Yelewata to offer condolences to families affected by the deadly attacks in the community in 2025.

The State Government maintained that neither Governor Alia nor his administration had any involvement in preventing the NDC candidate from carrying out his intended condolence visit.