The Senior Special Assistant to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress on Southeast Community Engagements, Mr Ebubeagu Okafor, Wednesday, said the blocking of the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Mr Peter Obi, from visiting some IDP camps in Benue State on Tuesday was undemocratic and condemnable.
Okafor, who is also the Enugu State Coordinator, APC Coalition for Good Governance, stated this when he appeared on a live radio programme hosted by Enugu-based Dream FM, which was monitored by THE WHISTLER. He blamed Governor Hyacinth Alia for not living up to expectations as the chief security officer of the state.
Okafor stated that, “Fr Alia may not have realised that he can’t treat political matters the way he treats his parishioners and get way. I condemn in totality any attempt by anybody, irrespective of their political heights, to block any citizen of Nigeria from moving lawfully in any part of the country.”
He said having been in the opposition since 1999, there was never a time the option of blocking any politician from embarking on charity was considered as a political weapon. He said Fr Alia’s action is not in the best interest of APC.
“Alia was not groomed by APC,” says Mr Okafor. “His action and those of Benue people go against democratic norms. Democracy and indeed the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria allow free movement of people and freedom of association. It is unfortunate that this is coming from Benue people, who are neighbours of Enugu State.”
He berated Benue youths, who, according to him, allowed themselves to be manipulated for selfish reasons. He said rather than the youths uniting to fight the bandits that have displaced their natives, they allowed themselves to pursue shadows.
“I also condemn the action of Benue youths who in their cowardice failed to protect their communities from bandits. Many Benue communities have now turned to IDP camps. The Benue youths failed with their governor to mobilise the people and chase away bandits and criminals that have been slaughtering them at Agatu and other parts of the state. They failed to block the situation, but they can block a moving person. Blocking Obi is an affront to democracy.”
He called on Alia to bow his head in shame for allowing his people to drain this far. “Even if he was not part of it, I know he had information that it would happen, and he could not intervene. That is unacceptable. He is wickedness.”
He recalled that in 2007 when former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar was threatened to be removed by former President Obasanjo that it was the opposition, led by Bola Tinubu, that mobilised Nigerians who ensured that the move was truncated.
He said, “I will not be a part of any tyranny in this country as exhibited by the people of Benue State. Assuming, but not conceding that it is a person from the Fulani part of the country, Benue people would not do it. They have been doing this overtime to the Igbos.”
He however absolved Benue APC youths from the act. Quoting him, “This action can’t be from Benue APC youths. APC youths of Benue State didn’t block Obi. It is only Obi because Igbo people do their businesses in Benue State unmolested. It will continue to go on. I wouldn’t know whether it was for his safety. I can’t speak for the government of Benue State. Amnesty International has condemned Benue youths for allowing themselves to be used as political mortgage instruments. The youths of Benue that blocked Obi are not up to 2,000. It is not an APC policy. What happened in Benue is primitive, uncivilised, and if unchecked, might spiral to something else. APC is a descent political party.”
He warned that such action might make Obi more famous. “Obi is not a threat to APC. The moment you try to block the opposition, you are making it popular. People will begin to show sympathy. It is better Obi is allowed to vanish with his strength than making him more popular through sympathies.”
He however called for understanding ahead of the 2027 elections. “This is campaign time. Every political party should organise themselves and not infringe on the rights of another, or jeopardise the security of another. I thank God that nothing happened to Obi. Nothing will happen to him irrespective of his political misunderstanding. He will lose gallantly. There should be peace within the political space.”
Redirect your misplaced charity to displaced Igbo, Obi told
Okafor advised Peter Obi to re-channel his “millions of naira meant for Benue IDP camps to displaced people in Southeast”.
According to him, “Charity begins at home. We have people that have been displaced in Uzo-Uwani and Isi-Uzo LGAs of Enugu State. Some are displaced by erosion in Anambra. Peter Obi has never deemed it right to visit them and drop some millions he has been dropping in the North. Only God knows the millions of naira he wanted to waste, but the Benue youths might have saved him that money. Let him bring it back to Igbo displaced persons. Don’t be a good man outside and a terror in the inside.”
APC is out to kill us if we don’t dismantle it, Obidient Movement Spokesman
Speaking on the programme, the spokesperson of the Obidient Movement, Enugu State, Ajuluchukwu Edechiene, urged Nigerian youths to avoid mortgaging their future.
Edechiene said it is not about the Benue youths, but the rascality of the APC government across the country.
In his words, “Obi is not the victim here. The camera was just on him. The victims are the good people of Nigeria who have suffered since 2015 that the APC government took over power. Ask anybody if their lives have been different since APC came to power! What has happened to the cost of living? They didn’t want Obi to be on the ticket. Obi said he will be. It was a promise.”
He said supporters of Peter Obi are not intimidated by what happened in Benue, rather they are energised across the country. “Obidients are mobilising since 2023 that APC stole our mandate,” according to him. “If a Peter Obi can go to a state that has suffered banditry and got treated this way, you can imagine what is next! If you go to Benue IDP camps, you will think there is no government there. We observed that the youths that blocked the road wore paraphernalia of APC. It is not speculation.”
He said the people “perpetrating this criminality across the country are not more than 10,000”, noting that, “The good people of Nigeria are far more than these people. When we return to Benue, the Obidients, the Kwankwasiyaa and the good people of Benue will be on ground to receive our presidential candidate. We are putting out a statement. This will never happen again. We have the right to self-defence. It is not about Obi. It is about free movement and fundamental rights of every Nigerian. The narrative is that he should have informed the governor. Obi is guaranteed with the security apparatus of the state. This battle is about ordinary Nigerians who have survived the tyranny of the APC government.”
He recalled that Obi had asked other presidential candidates to interact with the people, noting that Obi stated that he would be visiting communities for them to ask him questions.
“What is wrong with that?” he asked. “Where is our president? He is on vacation. The number of persons that has died since the APC government came into power is more than some war-torn countries. APC is out to kill us if we don’t dismantle them. Bandits have finished up Benue.”
He recalled that President Tinubu went to Benue but could not advance to the IDP camps, citing bad roads. “These are the same places that Obi wanted to go,” he said.
On calls that Obi should direct his donations to Igbo displaced persons, the spokesman said, “Obi is running for the president of Nigeria, and not for the president of Igbo clans. Obi since 2023 has donated more to the South-easterners than any politician alive. What we should expect from the APC government is what we now expect from Obi. He has visited more schools in southeast than any other states in Nigeria.”