The Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused Benue State Government of plotting to disrupt the planned visit of its presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi to the state.
Obi is slated to visit Benue State on Wednesday for a town hall meeting in Makurdi and a humanitarian visit to Yelewata, where he is expected to pay tribute to victims of the June 2025 massacre and commiserate with their families.
The party’s governorship candidate in the state, Terhemba Shija, while addressing newsmen in Makurdi on Tuesday, called on the state government and security agencies to guarantee the safety of Obi and his supporters.
He alleged that the state government was unhappy with Obi’s planned visit and had threatened to prevent him from visiting Yelewata.
But the state government has dismissed the allegations saying it is not planning to disrupt the visit of Obi, insisting that it has no objection to his presence in the state.
Speaking through the State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Chief Solomon Iorpev, the state government accused Obi of allegedly seeking to create controversy around his visit, claiming that the former Anambra State governor was deliberately generating negative publicity to portray the state government in a bad light.
Shija said arrangements had been concluded for Obi’s visit, which would combine humanitarian and political engagements, explaining that the former Anambra State governor would lay a wreath at the cenotaph of the victims along Lafia road in Yelewata before proceeding to Makurdi for a town hall meeting.
Shija clarified that Obi would not visit any government facility or IDP camp but would interact with a cross-section of residents at the Multi-purpose Hall of the Mission House, behind the Benue Links head office, Wurukum, Makurdi.
The NDC governorship candidate urged traditional rulers, civil society organisations, students, women, youths, labour unions and other residents to turn out to receive Obi, whom he described as “the man who would soon be President.”
Meanwhile, the spokesman of the command in Benue, DSP Peter Aondongu, confirmed that Obi had written to inform the police about his visit to the state.
The police image maker said adequate security arrangements were being made to guarantee the safety of the NDC presidential candidate visit to the state.
