The National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has called for a violence-free campaign ahead of the 2027 general elections, urging Nigerian youths not to allow themselves to be used as instruments of violence by political elites.
Obi made the call on Tuesday while addressing journalists in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, after youths suspected to be supporters of a political party blocked his convoy on the Makurdi-Gboko federal highway.
The blockade prevented Obi from proceeding to Yelwata, where he was scheduled to meet with and sympathise with families affected by the June 2025 attacks.
The NDC candidate arrived at the Tactical Air Command, Makurdi, at about 8am and was received by the party’s governorship candidate, Professor Terhemba Shija, other party officials and supporters amid celebrations and cultural performances.
However, shortly after leaving the airport, Obi’s convoy encountered a roadblock mounted by youths on the two-lane Makurdi-Gboko highway.
The blockade brought traffic to a standstill as the youths occupied the road, while police operatives reportedly made little effort to clear the obstruction.
Reacting to the incident, Obi urged young Nigerians to resist being manipulated into acts of violence by political elites, whom he accused of creating the difficult economic conditions confronting the country’s youths.
“It is ridiculous. Our experience this morning is very, very worrisome,” Obi said.
He explained that he had travelled to Yelwata to console families affected by the killing of more than 270 people and demonstrate solidarity with the community, only to have his convoy stopped by youths chanting, “Peter Obi, go back!”
“And I was wondering: are we still in Nigeria?” he asked, adding that as a presidential candidate, he should be able to move freely across the country as part of his campaign.
Obi said he chose not to confront the protesters in order to prevent the situation from escalating and potentially putting other lives at risk.
He appealed to security agencies, including the Inspector-General of Police, to intervene and ensure that political actors and state authorities do not allow such incidents to persist.
“I am using this occasion to appeal to the security agencies, the IG of police, and other agencies, to please intervene and be able to call various state governors to order,” he said.
“I was a state governor myself. This rascality cannot be allowed. We are a country, and can we confront these people on our own if these people cannot provide us with security?
“We cannot go on this way. This is unacceptable,” Obi lamented.
The incident comes amid a previous dispute between Obi and the Benue State Government. Last year, the state government reportedly barred him from visiting internally displaced persons in the state without express approval.
