Benue State Commissioner for Information, Solomon Iorpev, has accused the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, of repeatedly disregarding official protocol when visiting the state.
Iorpev made the allegation on Tuesday while reacting to an incident in which some youths reportedly blocked Obi’s movement during his visit to Benue.
The commissioner said Obi, as a former governor and high-profile political figure, ought to formally notify the state government ahead of his visit to enable authorities make adequate security arrangements.
According to him, the absence of official communication made it difficult for the state government to guarantee Obi’s safety during the visit.
“A high-profile person who has been a former governor of a state is coming into the state; he should have written a letter to the State Government.
“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 alleged that Tuesday’s incident was not the first occasion on which Obi had visited Benue without formally notifying the state government, accusing him of deliberately creating tension.
“This is not the first time he is doing this. He is just looking for our trouble. We are peace loving and hospitable people,” the commissioner said.
Obi had earlier alleged that thugs stopped his convoy from proceeding to Yelwata, where he intended to visit families affected by recent killings in the community.
However, Iorpev said he could not identify those responsible for the incident, explaining that Obi’s arrival coincided with a gathering involving youths from the state’s 23 local government areas.
He said the youths were travelling to the meeting from different parts of the state, raising the possibility that their movement may have contributed to the road blockage.
“So, if they were coming from either Tarka, Gboko, Buruku, Ushongo, Konshisha or Vandeikya at the same time of his visit and blocked the road, it is unfortunate. I do not know the youths who did that,” he said.
The commissioner maintained that the state government remained committed to peace and hospitality, while stressing that visitors of Obi’s status should follow established procedures to allow the authorities to provide appropriate security.
