Ex-Gov Ortom condemns blockade of Peter Obi's convoy in Benue, fingers state govt

A former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has condemned the blockade of the convoy of the Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, in Makurdi, the state capital, accusing the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia of involvement in the incident.

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Mr Ortom described the action as “wrong” and “inconsistent with democratic principles.”

He spoke on Wednesday as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

Some political thugs on Tuesday disrupted Mr Obi’s visit to Benue State; on his way to Yelwata, where over 200 residents were attacked and murdered in June last year.

The incident is the second reported disruption of Mr Obi’s visit to the North-central state after Governor Hyacinth Alia stopped one to internally displaced persons in April 2025, citing security and protocol concerns.

The state government has since denied involvement in the latest incident.

The Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, in a statement said, “We wish to emphatically deny that the government of Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has an idea of what Mr. Obi is talking about.”

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However, the state police command said on Wednesday that it has arrested about 46 suspects over the incident.

Mr Ortom, the immediate past governor of the state, who linked the incident to the state government, lamented the kind of government in place in the state, noting that it was wrong not to allow Mr Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, to visit the state.

ALSO READ: Document shows NDC notified police ahead of Peter Obi’s disrupted Benue visit

“I condemn what happened yesterday; it is wrong not to allow Peter Obi to visit Benue and sympathise with those people whose people were killed. That was what he came here to do. It was wrong, and that is the kind of government that we have in Benue today. It is not the first time they have done it before.

“Alia himself, the governor of Benue State, is involved in this matter; he cannot deny that. I am not supporting Peter Obi, but it is wrong. Allow democracy, which is anchored on the rule of law, to prevail, not to stop other people so that you take advantage of what is happening,” he said.