Opposition Kicks, as Thugs Block PETER OBI's Convoy in Benue State
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, PETER OBI, has been forced to leave Benue State and abort his planned visit to victims of sectarian violence in parts of the state.
PETER OBI and his team arrived at the airport in Makurdi, the state capital, at about 9am, but their motorcade was prevented from entering the town, en route an Internally Displaced People camp for victims of the recent Yelwata massacre.
The access road was blocked with several stationary vehicles, including a trailer, with a group of young men, including some that had their faces hooded, chanting slogans, claiming that PETER OBI was not welcomed in Benue State.
Addressing some journalists at the scene, OBI said he was informed that those who blocked the road were led by a Special Adviser to the Benue State Governor, HYACINTH ALIA.
Obviously disappointed and frustrated by the incident, PETER OBI declared that Nigeria cannot afford to be ruled in such a manner where the same people who are hungry and insecure are being used as political thugs.
OBI said such people must be lifted out of poverty by creating opportunities for them to earn a livelihood, which he described as the key purposes of his visit.
The Benue State governorship candidate of the NDC, Professor TERHEMBA SHIJA, was also present at the scene, said the current administration under the leadership of the All Progressives Congress was afraid of PETER OBI.
Meanwhile; the Presidential running-mate of the NDC, RABIU MUSA KWANKWASO, has called on the international community to take note of the incident in Benue State where the party’s presidential candidate, PETER OBI, was forced to abandon his visit.
RABIU MUSA KWANKWASO wants them to urge Nigerian authorities to uphold the rule of law, protect opposition leaders, and safeguard democratic freedoms.
KWANKWASO specifically urged President BOLA AHMED TINUBU to caution state governors, particularly those in his party, the All Progressives Congress, against any action that could undermine the sanctity of Nigeria’s democracy.
He equally challenged the Benue State Government to take steps to guarantee the safety and free movement of the NDC candidate and his entourage, as well as to ensure that those responsible for obstructing his visit are swiftly identified and prosecuted. It must also.
The former governor of Kano State said he was deeply disturbed by the attack on PETER OBI’s convoy in Benue State, warning that the deliberate mobilisation of unruly elements to prevent him from entering Makurdi marked another dark day for Nigeria’s democracy.
He warned that the authorities must remember that the Nigerian Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to freedom of movement, which he said applies even more strongly to OBI, as a former governor and leading opposition figure.
Similarly; the Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, OMOYELE SOWORE, also condemned the incident in Benue State, which he described as a state-sponsored blockade and attack on the NDC presidential candidate, PETER OBI.
In a statement on his social media handle, SOWORE noted that no candidate should be prevented through violence, intimidation or state-sponsored thuggery from campaigning freely anywhere in Nigeria.
He warned that those behind the incident, which he described as cowardly attacks, are toying with fire and threatening the democratic rights of all Nigerians.