Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo has condemned the blockade that prevented opposition presidential candidate Peter Obi from reaching Yelwata in Benue State, saying political differences should be settled through elections rather than intimidation or violence. Keyamo also urged the Nigerian media to apply the same standards when reporting political confrontations involving ruling and opposition parties.
Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, travelled to Benue on Tuesday with plans to visit Yelwata in Guma Local Government Area, where families are still recovering from a deadly attack in June 2025. His convoy was stopped by a group of youths along the route, preventing him from reaching the community.
Speaking after the incident, Obi said his team decided not to force its way through the crowd because doing so could have triggered violence and endangered residents, supporters and other road users. He described the obstruction as unacceptable and called on security agencies to ensure that candidates and other citizens are able to travel freely across the country.
Keyamo said the political identity of those responsible should not affect how Nigerians view the incident. He said it made no difference whether the blockade resulted from internal disagreements within the NDC, as suggested by the Benue State Government, or whether supporters of another political party were involved. “This should not be part of our democracy,” Keyamo said.
The minister also rejected arguments that Obi could legitimately be prevented from visiting Yelwata because the trip might have political motives. He said politicians must be allowed to travel, meet voters and carry out political activities peacefully. “Everyone should be allowed to move about freely and play their politics without such crude interference,” Keyamo said.
The Benue State Government denied involvement in the blockade and said it had not been formally notified of Obi’s visit. Information Commissioner Solomon Iorpev said a politician of Obi’s profile should have written directly to the state government so appropriate security arrangements could be made. “We are supposed to guarantee his safety and protection, but in an instance where no letter was written, we could not guarantee his safety,” Iorpev said. He also said he did not know who organised the youths who blocked Obi’s convoy.
However, evidence that emerged after the incident showed that the NDC had formally notified the Benue State Police Command a day before Obi arrived. A letter dated Sept. 7 requested security for Obi and his entourage during the planned visit to Yelwata. The police also confirmed that they were aware of his movement and had provided security. The notification to police does not establish that a separate letter was sent to the Benue State Government, leaving the two sides with different accounts of whether the required protocol was followed.
Michael Aondoakaa, the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Benue State and a former attorney general of the federation, also condemned the blockade. He described the incident as an assault on democratic rights and said political affiliation should never determine where a Nigerian citizen is permitted to travel. “No individual, group or government has the authority to deny any Nigerian access to any part of the country on account of political affiliation,” Aondoakaa said.
Keyamo also turned his criticism toward sections of the Nigerian media, accusing some outlets of describing confrontations involving governing party politicians as public rejection while characterising similar incidents involving opposition candidates as attacks by sponsored groups. “The press must extricate itself from such partisanship and be fair to all,” he said. He urged Nigerians unhappy with any candidate to express their views through their votes rather than violence.
The controversy comes as campaigning intensifies ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general election and political parties compete for support across the country. Nigeria has experienced violence and intimidation during previous election cycles, making the ability of candidates to campaign freely an important democratic concern. Keyamo said political anger should ultimately be expressed at the ballot box, arguing that voters can reject any candidate peacefully with their votes rather than through physical confrontation.
