A faction within Benue State’s ruling All Progressives Congress called Tuesday for Governor Hyacinth Alia to issue a public apology after opposition presidential candidate Peter Obi said his convoy was blocked from reaching Makurdi during a visit meant to console families affected by an earlier mass killing.
Obi, who is running under the Nigeria Democratic Congress, said he entered the state around 9 a.m. hoping to travel on to Yelwata, site of the earlier attack, but that a crowd of youths halted his convoy and demanded he turn back. He placed responsibility for the incident on Governor Alia’s administration, alleging it had organized the group to keep him out.
Party members loyal to Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume responded by calling the episode an embarrassment inconsistent with what they described as the state’s reputation for welcoming visitors. Their statement pressed Alia to apologize not just to Obi but to President Bola Tinubu, Benue residents and the APC as a whole, arguing the incident threatened to tarnish the party’s standing. The group also committed to competing in the 2027 elections through grassroots organizing rather than any form of coercion.
A civil society organization, the Igbo Renaissance Group, made a comparable demand separately, giving the governor a day to respond publicly and calling for those responsible for the blockade to face investigation.
Benue’s state government has pushed back on the allegations. A spokesperson for Alia said the administration had no involvement in or awareness of the events Obi described, while another official noted that Obi’s team had not informed the state government of his travel plans in advance.
The confrontation adds fresh friction to Nigeria’s political run-up to 2027, with Obi positioning himself as one of several opposition figures seeking to unseat Tinubu.
