Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has alleged that the Benue State Government was behind the reported blockade of Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi’s convoy during his visit to Makurdi, the state capital.
Obi’s convoy was reportedly stopped on Tuesday during his visit to Benue, where a hostile crowd allegedly gathered and chanted for him to leave. The incident disrupted his movement and raised concerns over the safety of the former Anambra State governor and members of his delegation.
Sowore said the alleged presence of a special adviser to Governor Hyacinth Alia among the crowd suggested that the incident may have been organised by individuals connected to the state government.
He said Obi himself had indicated that one of the governor’s special advisers was seen among those chanting, “Peter Obi, go back.”
According to Sowore, the crowd was “very menacing” and its actions created an atmosphere that made Obi and his delegation feel unsafe.
The AAC candidate stressed that political differences should not be used to restrict the constitutional rights of Nigerians, including the freedom to travel and campaign across the country regardless of political affiliation.
Although Sowore said he has ideological differences with Obi and disagrees with what he represents, he condemned any threat to the former governor’s safety.
“I don’t wish him death, definitely. I don’t want any harm to come upon him, any member of his delegation, or his campaign team wherever they go in Nigeria,” he said.
Sowore also called for those responsible for the incident to be identified and appropriately sanctioned.
He warned that failure by authorities to address political intimidation could lead to more serious incidents ahead of the 2027 elections.
“They are just testing the waters. If this works, then nobody is safe; you will find more of these kinds of intimidation attacks, and it will quickly snowball into assassinations,” Sowore said.
He urged political candidates and relevant authorities to condemn violence and protect the right of every participant in the 2027 electoral process to campaign freely and safely.
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