Peter Obi break silence on cancellation of Benue visit

The Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has broken his silence following the sudden cancellation of his planned visit to Benue State, describing the incident as troubling and unnecessary.

In a statement issued from Abuja on Monday, Obi expressed concern over the development, which disrupted his humanitarian outreach scheduled for Monday, April 14. The visit was intended to cover several engagements in Benue, including a courtesy call to the state governor, visit to internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, and inspections of health and education institutions.

According to Obi, while the Plateau State Government had warmly received him the day before and provided all the necessary support for his visit to the Bokkos IDP camp, efforts to reach the Benue State Governor proved futile.

He explained that despite repeated attempts, he was unable to make direct contact with the governor. Instead, he only spoke with the governor’s aide-de-camp (ADC), who promised a return call that never came. Days later, the ADC sent a message claiming he still couldn’t reach the governor—a development Obi found deeply unsettling.

Despite the lack of official communication, Obi decided to continue with his trip to Benue, viewing the courtesy visit to the governor as optional. However, en route to Makurdi, his team intercepted a press statement—allegedly from the Benue State Government—abruptly announcing the cancellation of the visit. Strangely, this same statement was then forwarded to him by the governor’s ADC.

“The statement outlined precisely the itinerary I had earlier shared with both the ADC and security operatives in Benue through my own security team,” Obi noted.

He emphasized that the visit was not political but purely humanitarian, echoing his consistent focus on health, education, and the welfare of displaced Nigerians.

He recalled similar humanitarian efforts in the past, such as his trip to Haiti during its devastating earthquake, which he made with the permission of then-President Goodluck Jonathan.

“My intention was to support key areas of development and continue my lifelong advocacy for the welfare of vulnerable Nigerians,” he said, citing a school under construction in Gboko and a nursing school he had planned to visit.

Peter Obi concluded his statement with a heartfelt prayer: “May God help us as we rebuild our nation and strive for a new Nigeria, where we do not politicise everything, but instead live and act for the common good of all Nigerians, especially those in need.”