National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi arrived in Benue State on a strict humanitarian mission to commiserate with families devastated by the June 2025 Yelewata terrorist attacks.
And in a show of cross-party political sportsmanship, former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom rolled out the red carpet, providing his personal Toyota Land Cruiser to securely transport the visiting dignitary from the Makurdi Airport.
(The Ambush & The Accusations)
But the goodwill trip abruptly derailed when suspected thugs barricaded the Makurdi-Gboko highway, chanting “Peter Obi go back!” and forcing the convoy to abandon the victims. The roadblock immediately ignited a vicious political firestorm. Current Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration vehemently denied orchestrating the mob, pivoting instead to attack his predecessor.
The state government tracked the Toyota Land Cruiser’s registration to Ortom, accusing the former governor of being “double-faced”—alleging that he publicly pledges loyalty to President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign while secretly facilitating Obi’s political ambitions in the state. Obi’s camp simultaneously accused the current administration of using the blockade to prevent him from exposing the grim reality of internally displaced persons (IDPs) under Alia’s watch.
(The Fallout & The War of Words)
Therefore, what was meant to be a quiet condolence visit has detonated into an all-out political war between Benue’s past and present leaders. An infuriated Ortom fired back on national television, challenging the reverend-turned-governor to “swear by the Bible” that he wasn’t behind the highway ambush, slamming Alia’s administration for descending into “lawlessness.”
While Ortom’s camp insists the vehicle was merely standard hospitality for a visiting national figure—not a 2027 endorsement—the Nigerian Police have since arrested 46 suspects in connection with the highway obstruction. The fallout leaves Benue State fractured by an escalating, bitter rivalry over democratic freedoms, freedom of movement, and political control ahead of the 2027 elections.
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