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The Benue State Commissioner for Information, Solomon Iorpev, has accused the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, of courting trouble with the state government.
Iorpev made the comment while reacting to the blockage of Obi’s convoy by some youths in the state on Tuesday.
The commissioner said the incident was not the first time Obi had allegedly failed to follow protocol by not officially informing the state government ahead of his visit.
He argued that Obi, as a former governor and high-profile personality, should have notified the state government so that adequate security arrangements could be made for his visit.
He said, “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.
“This is not the first time he is doing this. He is just looking for our trouble. We are peace-loving and hospitable people.”
Iorpev, however, said he did not know the youths responsible for blocking Obi, adding that the former governor’s visit coincided with a meeting of youths drawn from the state’s 23 local government areas.
The commissioner said it was possible that youths travelling from different parts of the state had blocked the road while Obi was passing through.
“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 incident has generated controversy, with the circumstances surrounding the disruption of Obi’s movement drawing reactions from both political supporters and the Benue State Government.
