Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has condemned the reported blockade of presidential candidate Peter Obi during his planned visit to Yelwata, Benue State, and called for greater neutrality in political reporting.
According to PUNCH, Obi was stopped by a group of youths while attempting to proceed to Yelwata in Guma Local Government Area, where he had planned to visit families affected by the deadly June 2025 attack in the community.
The incident has triggered competing claims. Obi and his Nigeria Democratic Congress alleged that the protesters were sponsored, while the Benue State Government denied involvement and said it was unaware of the visit.
The Benue State Police Command confirmed that it was aware of Obi’s movement and had provided security for the visit. However, the police said the reason the youths blocked the convoy remained unclear and that the incident was under investigation.
Keyamo said the incident should be condemned regardless of which political group was responsible.
He also rejected suggestions that Obi’s visit could have been politically motivated, arguing that this should not be used to justify preventing a politician from moving freely.
“Everyone should be allowed to move about freely and play their politics without such crude interference,” Keyamo said.
The minister further criticised what he described as partisan reporting of political confrontations. He alleged that incidents involving APC politicians were sometimes portrayed as evidence of public rejection, while similar incidents involving opposition figures were described as attacks by sponsored thugs.
Keyamo urged the media to apply the same standards to politicians across party lines.
He also called on Nigerians to express political dissatisfaction through democratic means rather than violence, saying voters could reject candidates through their ballots during elections.
The controversy follows the June 2025 Yelwata attack, one of the deadliest incidents recorded in Benue in recent years, in which more than 100 people were reportedly killed.
