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 the state.
Obi’s convoy was reportedly stopped on Tuesday while he was visiting Benue State, with a hostile crowd said to have gathered and chanted for him to leave. The incident disrupted his movement and sparked concerns about the safety of the former Anambra State governor and members of his delegation.
Sowore claimed that the reported presence of one of Governor Hyacinth Alia’s special advisers among the crowd suggested that individuals linked to the state government may have been involved in the incident.
“The clearer indication that the government was involved was actually made available by Mr. Peter Obi himself, who stated clearly that one of the special advisers to the governor was seen as part of the crowd that was chanting, ‘Peter Obi, go back.’ They were very menacing, and there was a lot of activity on their part that would make him feel unsafe.”
The AAC candidate argued that political differences should not be used as a basis for restricting the constitutional rights of Nigerians. He maintained that every Nigerian should be free to travel and campaign across the country regardless of their political affiliation.
“My differences are ideological with him. The principal differences are what he represents and what I represent when looking at his records. I am in the business of saving people.
If I am President of Nigeria, you can be guaranteed that your rights are protected whether you are a Jew or a Gentile. I am not going to treat you differently because you’re not a member of my party, my religion, or my ethnicity that’s what the Nigerian constitution guarantees today.”
Sowore also condemned any attempt to threaten Obi’s safety, saying he was prepared to support efforts to identify those responsible and ensure they faced appropriate sanctions.
“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.
I will go all out to help fish out the people who did this or call on the authorities involved to ensure that these persons are fished out and adequately sanctioned for this very terrible action they took against Peter Obi and his delegation, which prevented him from continuing his campaigns in Benue State.”
Sowore warned that political intimidation could escalate as the 2027 elections approach if authorities failed to respond firmly to such incidents.
“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, while urging political candidates to reject violence and uphold the right of every participant to campaign freely.