Seyi Makinde Demands Investigation Into Blockade of Peter Obi’s Convoy in Benue
Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presidential candidate Seyi Makinde has condemned the blockade of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi’s convoy during his visit to Benue State on Tuesday, September 8, describing the incident as deeply disturbing and calling for an immediate police investigation.
In a statement issued Wednesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Digital Communication, Anthony Ehilebo, Makinde, who also serves as Governor of Oyo State, condemned what he called the unwarranted obstruction of Obi’s convoy as the former Anambra State governor made his way to Yelwata to visit families affected by the June 2025 killings in the area. “The incident… is deeply disturbing, totally unacceptable, and marks a new low in the desperation by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to stifle opposition leaders ahead of the 2027 general elections,” the statement read.
Obi’s convoy ran into a full roadblock a few metres from the airport on the two-lane Makurdi-Gboko federal highway, where suspected thugs blocked the road to all users, triggering significant traffic congestion. According to reports, police at the scene did little to disperse the crowd as the standoff unfolded. Makinde’s statement went further than simply condemning the obstruction, directly accusing the APC of resorting to what he described as barbaric tactics, including intimidation, harassment and unlawful obstruction of the legitimate activities of opposition parties and leaders, which he attributed to the ruling party’s difficulties in marketing President Bola Tinubu to the Nigerian public ahead of the 2027 election.
Makinde also rejected the Benue State government’s position that Obi had failed to notify state authorities of his visit in advance, insisting that every Nigerian, whether a presidential candidate or otherwise, holds a constitutionally guaranteed right to enter, live and move freely within any state in the country to conduct legitimate activities without requiring prior permission.
The APM candidate further linked the incident to recent political developments, suggesting the APC had grown increasingly rattled following a show of solidarity among opposition figures. He noted that the obstruction came barely 24 hours after Obi had joined other prominent opposition leaders at the inauguration of the Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Office on Monday, September 7, an event he suggested may have contributed to the timing of Tuesday’s incident.
The Benue State Police Command confirmed that officers had been deployed to provide security for Obi’s convoy and said it had received prior information regarding his visit, while stating that an investigation had been launched into the motives of the youths responsible for the blockade. The Benue State government has separately maintained that it was not formally notified of Obi’s visit ahead of time, a position Makinde’s statement explicitly rejected as unacceptable.
Makinde’s intervention adds his voice to a chorus of opposition figures who have condemned the incident, with other prominent voices, including Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s ally Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, activist Omoyele Sowore, the Northern States Christian Elders Forum, and Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate for Benue, Chief Michael Aondoakaa, SAN, also having spoken out against the obstruction. The Benue State government and APC figures in the state have denied any involvement in or sponsorship of the blockade, leaving competing accounts of the incident’s origins unresolved as investigations continue.
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