(DDM) – Fresh tension erupted in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, after part of President Bola Tinubu’s campaign office was demolished by officials of the Benue State Urban Development Board.
Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that the demolition, which occurred late Wednesday night, has sparked outrage among supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), who described the act as politically motivated and a deliberate attempt to humiliate the president’s loyalists in the state.
Eyewitnesses said the demolition team arrived in the early hours of Thursday, using heavy machinery to pull down the front section of the building that had just been renovated and inaugurated two weeks ago as the official Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Office in Benue State.
A source close to the office management told DDM that no prior notice was served before the demolition.
He alleged that the action was carried out on orders from top state officials who claimed the structure violated new zoning and setback regulations recently introduced by the Benue State Urban Development Board.
Reacting to the incident, the APC Publicity Secretary in Benue, Daniel Ihomun, condemned the demolition, calling it a “provocative attack on democracy” and accusing the state government of intolerance.
He demanded an immediate apology and compensation for the destruction of party property.
However, officials of the Urban Development Board defended their action, insisting that the structure encroached on a public drainage channel and failed to obtain proper building approval.
The board’s spokesperson said all illegal structures would face similar treatment, regardless of political affiliation.
Political analysts who spoke to DDM warned that the incident could heighten tensions between the ruling APC at the federal level and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government in Benue.
They noted that the state has remained a political flashpoint since the last general elections, which saw bitter rivalry between both parties.
The Benue APC youth wing has vowed to organize a peaceful protest in Makurdi, demanding the resignation of the Urban Development Board chairman and calling on President Tinubu to intervene directly in what they describe as “systematic political persecution.”
Meanwhile, security operatives have been deployed to prevent further escalation, as fears grow that the demolition could spark reprisal vandalism or political clashes ahead of the 2025 election cycle.
DDM will continue to monitor the situation as reactions pour in from across the state’s political spectrum.