Benue government denies Obi’s claim, says Alia has no role in alleged Yelewata obstruction
The Benue state government has denied claims by Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), that thugs working for the government prevented him from accessing Yelewata in the state.
In a statement on Tuesday, Tersoo Kula, chief press secretary (CPS) to Hyacinth Alia, governor of Benue, described Obi’s allegation as “unfounded” and an attempt to drag the state government and its people into what he described as a possible internal political dispute within the NDC.
The state government’s reaction followed Obi’s reported claim that he was blocked from visiting Yelewata to commiserate with families affected by the 2025 attacks in the community.
The CPS said Alia had no knowledge of what Obi was referring to and questioned whether the former Anambra governor visited Makurdi, the state capital, on Tuesday.
“We wish to emphatically deny that the government of Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has an idea of what Mr. Obi is talking about,” the statement reads.
The governor’s spokesperson also rejected any suggestion that Alia would deploy thugs against Obi, saying the governor relies on recognised security agencies to maintain peace and order in the state.
“Mr. Peter Obi is not a threat to Governor Alia in any way. Even if he actually visited the state, and we realised that he is a threat to anyone, the security agencies are there to handle the issue, not thugs,” he said.
According to Kula, Alia is “a peace-loving Reverend gentleman” who is opposed to thuggery and does not engage, patronise or deploy thugs as instruments of governance or security.
He also questioned why Obi allegedly arrived in the state without formally notifying the relevant security authorities of his movement.
“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.
He added that such a visit would ordinarily require security coordination involving the commissioner of police and other relevant security agencies.
The government further suggested that any disagreement Obi may have with the NDC structure in Benue should be resolved within the party rather than attributed to the state government.
“If Mr. Obi is confronted with disagreements or internal political challenges within his party structure in Benue State, those issues should be resolved within the party rather than being conveniently transferred to the State Government,” the CPS said.
The Alia administration, the spokesperson added, would not be distracted by what it described as attempts to manufacture political controversies.
He the governor’s priorities remained good governance, improved security and the welfare of Benue residents and urged the public to disregard allegations linking the state government to any incident involving Obi.
“Benue remains open to legitimate visitors, political actors and all Nigerians who come in peace,” the statement said.
