Governor Hyacinth Alia’s handling of Peter Obi’s recent visit to Benue has reopened questions about political loyalty, opposition politics and the governor’s response to the state’s prolonged security crisis.
In an opinion piece, journalist and commentator Ikeddy Isiguzo argues that Alia appears more concerned with maintaining a strong relationship with President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Government than with confronting the political and security pressures facing Benue.
The argument comes against the backdrop of Obi’s disrupted visit to the state on September 8, 2026. The Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate had planned to visit Yelwata, where hundreds of residents were killed in a June 2025 attack, to meet families of victims and pay his respects.
His convoy was blocked by youths along the Gboko Road in Makurdi, forcing him to abandon the planned visit. Obi accused suspected hired thugs of preventing him from reaching the community, while the Benue State Government denied involvement and said it was unaware of his visit.
The controversy deepened after a document surfaced showing that the NDC had notified the Benue State Commissioner of Police about Obi’s planned arrival. The letter, dated September 7, was acknowledged by the police, with a senior police officer confirming that the command received it and provided security cover for the visit.
The Benue Police Command subsequently said it arrested 46 people allegedly linked to the obstruction of Obi’s convoy. Commissioner of Police Cletus Nwadiogbu said the command had been informed of the visit and deployed security personnel, including police escort vehicles led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police.
Ortom Accuses Alia
Former Governor Samuel Ortom has since accused the Alia administration of being involved in the incident, describing the obstruction of Obi’s visit as wrong and contrary to democratic principles.
Ortom said Obi should have been allowed to visit Yelwata and sympathise with families affected by the killings.
“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,” Ortom said.
He maintained that his position was not an endorsement of Obi’s political ambition but a defence of the right of political figures and citizens to move freely and identify with victims of violence.
The former governor also defended his decision to assist Obi during the visit after the NDC candidate’s convoy was blocked.
Ortom’s intervention has become another point of friction between the former governor and the Alia administration, with the governor’s camp questioning the decision to assist a political opponent of President Tinubu.
A Repeat of April 2025
The recent confrontation is not the first dispute between Obi and the Benue government over a proposed visit.
In April 2025, Alia warned Obi against making what his administration described as an unscheduled visit to the state, after the former Anambra governor planned to visit internally displaced persons.
The governor’s office said visitors to IDP camps needed to coordinate with the Benue State Emergency Management Agency and relevant security authorities.
Alia later defended the decision, saying his concern was the safety of displaced people and compliance with security protocols, rather than politics.
That earlier confrontation has now become part of the political context surrounding Obi’s latest visit, with critics arguing that the repeated disputes raise questions about how the state government treats opposition figures.
The Security Question
At the centre of the debate is a much larger problem: Benue’s continuing insecurity.
The June 2025 Yelwata massacre remains one of the most devastating attacks associated with the state’s recent security crisis. In February 2026, federal prosecutors filed 57 terrorism-related charges against nine suspects over the attack, which prosecutors said killed about 150 people.
The violence has also produced a major humanitarian crisis. Amnesty International reported in July 2025 that more than 510,000 people were internally displaced across Benue, while also raising concerns about conditions in IDP camps.
Against that background, Obi has argued that the continued existence of IDP camps demonstrates the failure to provide sufficient security for displaced communities to return home.
During his subsequent visit to Plateau after leaving Benue, he said government must take responsibility for protecting citizens and returning displaced people to their communities.
For critics of Alia, the issue is therefore not simply whether Obi followed the appropriate protocol. It is whether political disagreements should stand in the way of humanitarian visits to communities affected by mass violence.
Alia’s Defence
The governor’s camp has rejected the suggestion that Alia ordered or supported the obstruction of Obi’s convoy.
His Chief Press Secretary, Kula Tersoo, described the allegations as unfounded and insisted that the governor was not aware of Obi’s visit.
The government also argued that a presidential candidate and former governor should have properly notified the relevant security authorities before entering the state so that adequate protection could be arranged.)
However, the emergence of the police notification letter has complicated that argument, since the document indicates that the NDC formally notified the Commissioner of Police ahead of the visit.
The conflicting accounts have consequently shifted the debate from a simple protocol dispute to a broader question about political tolerance and the responsibilities of government in protecting visitors and citizens.
Tinubu, Alia and 2027
Isiguzo’s central argument is that Alia’s relationship with Tinubu is inseparable from the political calculations surrounding Benue ahead of 2027.
The governor belongs to the All Progressives Congress, while Tinubu is seeking another presidential term. Alia’s political calculations, the columnist argues, must therefore be viewed against the wider contest for influence in Benue.
The writer particularly points to the role of George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and a former governor of Benue, as a major political figure within the Tinubu administration.
However, the suggestion that Alia’s actions are motivated solely by loyalty to Tinubu remains an interpretation by the columnist rather than an established fact.
The Human Cost
The most serious challenge facing Alia remains the security situation.
Beyond the political exchanges between the governor, opposition politicians and former officeholders, thousands of Benue residents remain affected by displacement, destroyed communities and interrupted livelihoods.
The humanitarian consequences of the crisis have continued to fuel criticism of governments at both state and federal levels.
For Isiguzo, the question is ultimately whether political loyalty should take precedence over the immediate needs of citizens confronting insecurity.
The dispute over Obi’s visit has brought that question back into public debate, but the larger challenge remains the same: restoring security sufficiently for displaced Benue residents to return home and live without fear.
As the 2027 political contest approaches, the controversy also offers a warning about the danger of allowing electoral calculations to overshadow the basic responsibilities of government.
AbdulBasit Saba is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
