The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has strongly condemned the alleged obstruction of his convoy on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, by a stick-wielding mob and political thugs along Gboko Road, near the Air Force Base in Makurdi, Benue State.
The incident unfolded shortly after Obi and his entourage arrived at the airport to pay a condolence visit to local communities recently plagued by security crises and tragic killings.
Eyewitness accounts and video footage recorded at the scene revealed mob members blocking the primary artery leading from the airport into Makurdi town, effectively preventing the political leader’s convoy from proceeding to his intended destination.
Addressing journalists and members of his entourage directly from the scene of the blockade, Obi expressed deep frustration over the ordeal and alleged that the disruption was orchestrated by elements acting on behalf of political interests within the state.
”I am here in a place where people have been killed. I am here to commiserate with them, but now I have been told that youths sponsored by the governor have blocked the road and made sure I do not go in,” Obi stated while standing near his stopped vehicle. “I have been standing here since. We cannot have a country like this. It does not make sense to me. The rascality is totally unacceptable.”
Providing a direct update from the route, Obi’s personal photographer, Esther Umoh, recorded video footage of the hostile mob pursuing elements of the convoy along Gboko Road.
”This is Gboko Road; the entire road is blocked,” Umoh said in a video statement released online. “We just touched down, and this is the only road from the airport into town. They said Peter Obi is not coming into the town to see the people he wanted to see. This is not acceptable. We should be able to do politics without going this low.”
The blockade marks a sharp escalation in political friction ahead of upcoming political engagements. Opposition figures have raised concerns over the shrinking political space and high-handed tactics employed against visiting leaders.
As of press time, neither the Benue State Government nor the state police command has released an official statement regarding the security failure or the allegations leveled by the NDC standard-bearer.
