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Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has alleged that the Benue State Government planned the blockade of Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi’s convoy to prevent him from entering Makurdi, the state capital.
Obi’s convoy was reportedly stopped on Tuesday during his visit to Benue, where a hostile crowd gathered and chanted for him to leave. The incident disrupted his movement and raised concerns over the safety of the former Anambra State governor and members of his delegation.
Sowore said the reported presence of a special adviser to Governor Hyacinth Alia among the crowd was a strong indication that the incident may have been organised by people connected to the state government.
“The clearer indication that the government was involved was actually made available by Mr. Peter Obi himself, who stated clearly that one of the special advisers to the governor was seen as part of the crowd that was chanting, ‘Peter Obi, go back.’ They were very menacing, and there was a lot of activity on their part that would make him feel unsafe.”
The AAC candidate said political differences should not be used to restrict the constitutional rights of any Nigerian, stressing that people must be free to travel and campaign across the country regardless of their political affiliation.
“My differences are ideological with him. The principal differences are what he represents and what I represent when looking at his records. I am in the business of saving people.
If I am President of Nigeria, you can be guaranteed that your rights are protected whether you are a Jew or a Gentile. I am not going to treat you differently because you’re not a member of my party, my religion, or my ethnicity that’s what the Nigerian constitution guarantees today.”
Sowore also condemned any threat to Obi’s safety, saying he would support efforts to identify those responsible for the incident and ensure that they were held accountable.
“I don’t wish him death, definitely. I don’t want any harm to come upon him, any member of his delegation, or his campaign team wherever they go in Nigeria.
I will go all out to help fish out the people who did this or call on the authorities involved to ensure that these persons are fished out and adequately sanctioned for this very terrible action they took against Peter Obi and his delegation, which prevented him from continuing his campaigns in Benue State.”
He warned that political intimidation could worsen ahead of the 2027 elections if authorities failed to act decisively. “They are just testing the waters. If this works, then nobody is safe; you will find more of these kinds of intimidation attacks, and it will quickly snowball into assassinations,” Sowore said, urging political candidates to condemn violence and protect the right of every participant to campaign freely.
