Nigeria’s 2027 presidential hopeful, Peter Obi, faced another show of force on Tuesday in Benue State, in the country’s central region. As he sought to travel to the community of Yelwata to offer condolences to the families of victims of recent deadly attacks, his convoy was stopped by a group of youths along the Gboko road, not far from Makurdi, the state capital.
These individuals, described by Obi’s campaign team as hired thugs, reportedly chanted « Peter Obi, go back » while wielding sticks, clubs and stones to prevent the convoy from passing. According to a statement signed by Idris Zekeri Jnr, spokesman for the candidate’s media office, the group was allegedly led by a close aide to the state governor, Hyacinth Alia. Obi’s party, the Nigeria Democratic Congress, firmly condemned the incident, calling it a deliberate obstruction of a presidential candidate’s freedom of movement.
Local police confirmed the incident to Nigerian media and stated that an investigation had been opened. The force’s spokesperson in the state, DSP Orchia Peter Aondongu, did not indicate whether any suspects had yet been identified.
This latest episode echoes a similar incident from April 2025, when Obi was likewise prevented from visiting camps for internally displaced people in the same state. Benue remains plagued by recurring violence, often fueled by tensions between farming and herding communities as well as ethnic and religious rivalries. Last June, an attack by armed men had already claimed eighteen lives in the Otukpo area, which the candidate had visited shortly before.
Facing this repeated hostility, several voices have called on Peter Obi to adopt a firmer stance. Human rights lawyer and activist Inibehe Effiong urged him to abandon what he sees as an overly cautious and diplomatic approach, encouraging him to fully assert his constitutional rights as both a citizen and a candidate.
Obi’s campaign office reiterated that his visit was not driven by any political ambition, but was meant solely to express solidarity with grieving families and to listen to their accounts. The incident unfolds against an already tense electoral backdrop, ahead of a presidential contest where political violence and the use of armed groups to intimidate opponents remain a common practice in Nigeria.
