Suspected thugs on Tuesday reportedly blocked the convoy of the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, on Gboko Road near the Air Force Base in Benue State.
Obi’s campaign photographer, Esther Umoh, raised the alarm in a series of posts on X, accompanied by videos of the incident.
“We have just arrived in Benue State, where alleged sponsored thugs have blocked Boko Road by the Air Force Base, attempting to prevent Peter Obi from gaining access to the state,” Umoh wrote.
The identities of those involved and whether any arrests were made were not immediately clear.
https://twitter.com/PeterObi/status/2097343247756525977?s=20
Speaking to journalists afterwards, Obi said his visit to Benue was not for campaign purposes but to condole with communities affected by recent killings and show solidarity with residents.
“Today, I’m in Benue, not for campaign. I only wanted to go to a place where people lost their lives, and condole them, show solidarity with them,” Obi said.
He condemned the state of political affairs in the country and called for a shift towards unity, love, justice and peaceful coexistence.
“All I can say to you is that we have no other country, we have no other country except this one, and we will all build it based on unity, based on love, and shared sense of doing the right thing… everybody knows what is happening in this country,” he said.