Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, was on Tuesday prevented from proceeding in Benue State after protesters barricaded Gboko Road in Makurdi, the state capital.
The protesters, chanting “We don’t want Peter Obi,” blocked the road around the Nigerian Air Force Base and Makurdi Airport for several hours, disrupting traffic and preventing Obi’s convoy from moving.
In a video shared
News Central Television on its X page on Tuesday, Obi said he had travelled to Benue to sympathise with victims of killings in the state but was stopped after protesters were allegedly mobilised
a government aide.
“I was told that youths, led
an SA (Special Assistant) to the government, have decided to block the road and make sure I don’t go there,” he said.
Obi described the development as unacceptable, accusing those behind the protest of using hungry and vulnerable youths for political purposes.
“The rascality they are bringing into this country is totally unacceptable. People are being killed every day in Benue. People want to show that they are with them, and I came here all the way this morning, a long distance, only to be told what you are seeing here,” he said.
He said the protesters had been mobilised without considering the consequences of their actions.
“These youths are being used to do this. What they are doing now will take its revenge on them. They don’t know that. And unfortunately, somebody sits in office and allows this to happen,” Obi said.
He maintained that the blockade should not have occurred, stressing that the affected youths were themselves victims of poverty and insecurity and should be supported with opportunities for a better livelihood rather than being deployed to obstruct his visit.
Obi also said his visit to Benue was known to the state authorities and had not been kept secret.
“Everybody is aware I’m visiting this place today. It’s not a secret to them,” he said.
