Benue Gov’t denies preventing Peter Obi from visiting Yelewata

The Benue State Government has denied that it prevented the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi from visiting Yelewata.

The rebuttal followed claims by Obi that thugs allegedly working for the state government barred him from accessing the community, where he intended to commiserate with families affected by the 2025 attacks.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Tersoo Kula, dismissed the allegation as unfounded, describing it as an attempt to drag the governor and the administration into an internal NDC dispute.

The government denied any knowledge of the incident, questioning the basis for connecting the administration to the confrontation.

“We wish to emphatically deny that the government of Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has any knowledge of what Mr. Obi is talking about,” the statement read.

The government also questioned whether Obi visited the state capital on Tuesday, pointing to what it characterized as a pattern of misleading claims regarding Benue.

“Based on his antecedent of making untrue statements against the state, we have every reason to doubt whether he visited Makurdi, the state capital, today,” the statement continued.

The administration rejected the claim that it uses thugs to restrict the movement of political figures.

According to the Governor’s Spokesperson, he reiterated his commitment to peace and the rule of law and firmly opposes political thuggery.

“Governor Alia is a peace-loving Reverend gentleman who is averse to the promotion of thuggery,” the statement emphasized, adding that the administration does not engage, patronize, or deploy thugs as instruments of governance or security, noting that statutory security agencies remain solely responsible for maintaining public order.

The statement also observed that high-profile political visits usually involve proper security coordination, which appeared absent in this case.

“Ordinarily, such a visit would attract the attention and necessary security coordination involving the Commissioner of Police and other relevant security agencies,” the government said.

Urging Obi to resolve internal party disputes within the NDC rather than blame the state government, the administration declared that it will not be distracted from delivering good governance, security, and welfare to the people of Benue.

It advised the public to disregard allegations linking the state government to the incident, reaffirming that Benue remains open to all political figures and visitors who travel through the state peacefully.