The All Progressives Congress (APC), Benue State Chapter, has condemned the reported attack and harassment of Mr Peter Obi by suspected thugs allegedly mobilised by agents of the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia during Obi’s visit to Benue on Tuesday.
Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, was in the state to sympathise with families and communities affected by the Yelwata massacre.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the APC State Publicity Secretary, Daniel Ihomun, the party described the alleged disruption of Obi’s visit as “a shameful display of intolerance” and said such conduct had no place in a democratic society.
The statement said Obi visited Benue at a moment of grief to identify with victims of one of the most painful tragedies suffered by the people of the state and ought to have been received with civility and respect.
“This is not Benue. This is not our culture. And this is not the APC,” the party said, stressing that Benue people were traditionally hospitable, peaceful and respectful of visitors regardless of their political affiliation.
The APC also appealed to members of the Igbo community resident in the state not to associate the alleged incident with the people of Benue, describing the reported emergence of political violence as a development alien to the state’s political culture.
According to the party, “The Alia administration which authorised or sponsored this disgraceful conduct does not speak for the people of Benue.”
The APC said it would not be lectured on thuggery, recalling that when the party assumed office in 2015 through the mandate of Benue voters, it worked to restore peace and dismantle what it described as the culture of political thuggery in the state.
It described what it called the resurgence of thuggery under the present administration as unacceptable and urged lovers of peace and democracy to reject political violence.
The party further declared that it neither uses nor needs thugs to win the 2027 elections, saying it would rely on its structures, persuasion and the ballot box to secure victory.
“We will win through the people, through our structures, through persuasion and through the ballot box. Whoever believes that intimidation and violence can secure political power in 2027 is living in the past,” the statement said.
The APC consequently demanded an immediate apology from Governor Alia to Peter Obi, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the people of Benue State and the APC, arguing that the alleged conduct could bring the party into disrepute.
“Political differences are legitimate, political violence is not. Benue deserves better,” the statement added.
