Peter Obi and Governor Alia Are Now Fighting Over Who Was Supposed to Know About a Visit

Peter Obi went to Benue to visit families affected by the Yelwata massacre, and somehow the visit has turned into another episode of “Who Told Who?”, Nigeria’s favourite political game.

Obi says he arrived in Benue around 9am with the intention of visiting grieving families, only for his convoy to be stopped along the Gboko Road by youths shouting, “Peter Obi, go back.” He described them as hired thugs and alleged that they were linked to an aide of Governor Hyacinth Alia. The NDC has also accused the group of obstructing what it says was a purely humanitarian visit.

Then Governor Alia’s government basically said: “Which visit?”

The Benue State Government insists it was not informed about Obi’s arrival and says the former Anambra governor should have formally notified the state government so that adequate security arrangements could be made. The Commissioner for Information, Solomon Iorpev, argued that Obi is a former governor and presidential candidate, so the state has a responsibility for his safety. He also challenged anyone claiming government officials organised the blockade to provide evidence.

And this is where Nigerian politics becomes a sitcom.

Obi says: “I came to mourn.”

Alia’s government says: “You didn't tell us you were coming.”

Obi’s party says: “We informed the police and DSS.”

The government says: “Police and DSS are not the state government.”

Meanwhile, somebody has blocked the road, people are shouting, traffic is piling up, and everybody is busy explaining protocol.

My brother, the dead people are still dead.

That is the uncomfortable part of this whole drama. The Yelwata attack reportedly killed more than 200 people, and Obi said he wanted to meet their families and offer solidarity. Yet the national conversation has quickly moved from the victims to whether a presidential candidate submitted the correct letter before entering a state.

And this is not even the first disagreement between Obi and the Benue government over a humanitarian visit. A similar dispute occurred in 2025 when Obi attempted to visit displaced people in the state.

At this point, somebody needs to create a Google Calendar called “Peter Obi Visiting Benue.”

Because apparently in Nigeria, before you visit people who have lost their homes and relatives, you must first make sure everybody has received the meeting invite.

The victims are waiting for compassion. The politicians are waiting for notification.