Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has denied allegations that his administration sponsored thugs to prevent the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, from accessing parts of the state.
Obi had alleged in a viral video that political thugs, reportedly led by a special assistant to Governor Alia, stopped him from visiting parts of Benue, including the state capital, Makurdi.
Reacting to the allegation, Governor Alia, through his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, dismissed the claim as unfounded.
Kula maintained that Obi does not pose any political threat to Governor Alia ahead of the 2027 elections, stressing that security agencies, rather than political thugs, would be responsible for addressing any security concerns involving the former Anambra State governor.
“Let it be known that Mr. Peter Obi is not a threat to Governor Alia in any way. Even if he actually visited the state, and we realised that he is a threat to anyone, the security agencies are there to handle the issue, not thugs,” Kula said.
The governor’s spokesman described the allegation as an attempt to drag Governor Alia and the people of Benue into what he suggested could be an internal political dispute within the NDC.
“We wish to emphatically deny that the government of Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has an idea of what Mr. Obi is talking about,” Kula added.
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