Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, was barred from proceeding in Benue State on Tuesday when demonstrators barricaded Gboko Road in Makurdi, the state capital.
The demonstrators, yelling “We don’t want Peter Obi,” barricaded the road near the Nigerian Air Force Base and Makurdi Airport for hours, impeding traffic while Obi’s convoy was held up.
Speaking at the scene in a video uploaded on News Central Television’s X site on Tuesday, Obi said he had been to Benue to condole with victims of killings in the state but was halted by a government assistant.
“I was told that youths, led by an SA (Special Assistant) to the government, have decided to block the road and make sure I don’t go there,” he said.
He described the blockade as disgraceful and accused those behind it of using hungry, 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.
Obi stated that the protesters had been mobilized without regard for the consequences.
“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 the office and allows this to happen,” he said.
Obi insisted that the roadblock should not have happened, claiming that the impacted youths were themselves victims of poverty and insecurity and required economic support rather than being deployed to obstruct his arrival.
He stated that his schedule had not been concealed from state officials. “Everybody is aware I’m visiting this place today. It’s not a secret to them,” he said.
