Breaking: Benue Govt Breaks Silence Shortly After Attack on Peter Obi's Convoy, "Stop The Lies"
- The Benue state government dismissed Peter Obi's claims that government-sponsored thugs stopped him from reaching Yelewata to console attack victims
- The Governor's spokesperson questioned whether Obi even visited Makurdi at all, citing his history of making untrue statements about the state
- The government suggested Obi's troubles may stem from internal NDC party conflicts rather than any action by the state
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The Benue State Government has strongly rejected claims by Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), that thugs linked to the state government blocked him from reaching Yelewata to commiserate with families affected by the 2025 attacks.
Sir Tersoo Kula, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hyacinth Alia, described the allegations as unfounded and said they amounted to a desperate attempt to drag the governor and the people of Benue into what he called a possible internal political dispute within the NDC.
Source: Twitter
"We wish to emphatically deny that the government of Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has an idea of what Mr. Obi is talking about," Kula said in an official statement.
Benue questions whether Obi even visited Makurdi
Kula went further to question the credibility of Obi's account, saying the government had reason to doubt whether the NDC candidate visited Makurdi, the state capital, at all. He cited what he described as a pattern of untrue statements Obi had previously made about the state.
The spokesperson noted that a visit by a presidential candidate would ordinarily require formal security coordination with the Commissioner of Police and other relevant agencies. He said the absence of such notification made it difficult to take the allegations seriously.
"It is therefore curious that an individual presenting himself as a presidential candidate could arrive in a state without the relevant security authorities being formally informed of his movement," Kula said.
Alia described as committed to rule of law
Kula firmly rejected any association between the Alia administration and thuggery, saying Governor Alia relies exclusively on recognised security agencies to maintain order across the state and does not deploy thugs as instruments of governance.
He also pushed back on what he called Obi's tendency to link unverified incidents to the Benue State Government, suggesting that if Obi faces resistance within his party structure in the state, those issues should be settled internally rather than blamed on the government.
"The Alia administration will not be distracted by attempts to manufacture political controversies where none exists," Kula said, adding that the government's focus remains on governance, security, and the welfare of Benue residents.
The statement closed with an appeal to the public to disregard any claims linking the state government to incidents involving the NDC presidential candidate, and a reminder that Benue remains open to all Nigerians who come in peace.
Obi joined the NDC on May 2, 2026, after resigning from the African Democratic Congress, and was ratified as the party's presidential candidate on May 29, 2026.
Kankwaso reacts over Obi's ordeal in Benue
Previously, Legit.ng reported that Rabiu Kwankwaso, the vice presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 elections, condemned what he described as a coordinated attack on the convoy of presidential candidate Peter Obi in Benue state, calling for immediate prosecution of those involved.
Legit.ng reports that Kwankwaso made his position strongly known in a statement posted on his verified X account on Tuesday, September 8, saying he was "deeply disturbed" by the incident. He lamented that unruly elements were deliberately mobilised to block Obi's convoy and prevent the former Anambra state governor from reaching Makurdi, the Benue capital.
Source: Legit.ng
