Benue Commissioner Flags Peter Obi's Repeated Protocol Disregard During State Visits

The Benue State Commissioner for Information, Solomon Iorpev, has issued a statement indicating that Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Nigeria Democratic Congress, is creating issues with the state government. Iorpev's comments came in response to an incident on Tuesday where some youths blocked Obi's convoy. The commissioner highlighted that this was not the first instance where Obi had bypassed official protocol by failing to formally notify the state government about his visits, especially given his prominent status.

Iorpev characterized Obi as a high-profile individual and a former state governor, whose security arrangements should ideally be handled by the host state. He emphasized the necessity for such a figure to communicate their visit in advance. “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,” Iorpev stated. He further explained, “We are supposed to guarantee his safety and protection, but in an instance where no letter was written, we could not guarantee his safety.”

According to the commissioner, this pattern of visits without prior notification is recurrent. “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 asserted. While the commissioner maintained he was unaware of the identities of those responsible for the blockade on Obi's convoy, he noted that the incident unfortunately coincided with a scheduled meeting of youths drawn from all 23 local government areas of the state.

“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,” the commissioner concluded, addressing the regrettable timing of the events.