Peter Obi has broken his silence after his convoy was intercepted by demonstrators along Boko Road, near the Air Force Base in Benue State.
Obi and his entourage were en route to visit victims of recent violent attacks in the state when a crowd occupied the center of the road, chanting anti-Obi slogans and preventing his vehicles from proceeding.
Video footage of the incident, which went viral across social media platforms, showed armed security personnel standing nearby as the crowd blocked the route.
Obi decries political hostility, clarifies visit purpose
Addressing newsmen shortly after the incident, Obi refuted allegations that his visit was politically motivated, emphasizing that he traveled to Benue purely on a humanitarian mission to show solidarity with grieving communities.
“All I can say is that we have no other country except this one, and we will all build it based on unity, love, and a shared sense of doing the right thing,” Obi stated. “Today, I am in Benue, not for a campaign. I only wanted to go to a place where people lost their lives, condole with them, and show solidarity with them.”
He expressed deep concern over the state of politics, urging political actors to prioritize unity and human empathy above partisan differences.
“You can see the level to which our politics has degenerated. That was why yesterday, I joined the APM family together with their presidential candidate in launching its office, and I used that to plead with people: let our next politics be a politics of unity, of love, justice, and a shared sense of being safe.”
Police launch investigation into the incident
The Benue State Police Command confirmed awareness of the obstruction, stating that police personnel provided security coverage during Obi’s movement to Yelwata.
Spokesperson DSP Orchia Peter Aondongu announced that the command has commenced a formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the disruption to identify those responsible.
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