*Urges Equal Media Standards
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Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has condemned the blockade of the convoy of Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in Benue State, saying no politician should be prevented from moving freely or carrying out political activities through intimidation, violence or obstruction.
Keyamo, reacting on Wednesday to the incident in which angry youths prevented Obi and his convoy from proceeding to Yelwata in Guma Local Government Area, said the development should be condemned regardless of who was responsible or which political party was involved.
Obi had planned to visit Yelwata to commiserate with families affected by the deadly June 2025 attack in the community. His convoy was, however, stopped after protesters barricaded the route.
The incident sparked controversy after Obi suggested that the protest had been sponsored by the Benue State Government, an allegation the government denied. The Benue State Police Command later confirmed that it was aware of Obi’s movement and had provided security for the visit, but said the reason the youths blocked the convoy was not yet known and was being investigated.
Reacting, Keyamo said the circumstances surrounding the protest should not distract from the larger principle that political candidates must be allowed to campaign and move freely without violence or intimidation.
“Yesterday’s report of the prevention of the Presidential candidate of the NDC, Mr Peter Obi, by some angry protesters from proceeding to the venue of his visit in Benue State must be condemned by all men of goodwill,” he said.
The minister said it was immaterial whether the blockade arose from internal disagreements within the NDC, as suggested by the Benue State Government, or whether it was sponsored by the APC or another political rival.
“Whether the protest was as a result of internal squabbles within the NDC (as posited by the Benue State Government) or sponsored by the APC or any other rival party, this should not be part of our democracy,” Keyamo said.
He also rejected the argument that Obi’s visit should have been blocked because it might have been politically motivated.
According to him, even if critics believed Obi intended to use the Yelwata visit to revive emotions surrounding the killings for political purposes, that did not justify preventing him from accessing the community.
“That is still not acceptable; everyone should be allowed to move about freely and play their politics without such crude interference,” he said.
The June 2025 attack on Yelwata was one of the deadliest incidents recorded in Benue in recent years, with reports putting the death toll at more than 100. The community has since remained one of the symbols of the security challenges confronting the state.
Keyamo, however, used the incident to raise a broader concern about what he described as selective media treatment of political confrontations.
“There is no better time to draw the attention of Nigerians and the world to the spin that the partisan section of the media usually puts on such incidents,” he said.
He argued that confrontations involving APC politicians were sometimes described by sections of the media as evidence of public rejection, while similar confrontations involving opposition politicians were characterised as attacks by sponsored thugs or hoodlums.
“Many a time when an angry crowd confronts or molests an APC candidate at any level, the partisan Press shamelessly dubs or spins it as ‘rejection’ by ‘Nigerians’. When it concerns the opposition, then it is an ‘attack’ by ‘sponsored thugs’ or ‘hoodlums’,” he said.
Keyamo said the media should apply the same standards when reporting incidents involving politicians, irrespective of party affiliation.
“What is good for the goose is also good for the gander. The Press must extricate itself from such partisanship and be fair to all,” the minister said.
He also urged Nigerians who opposed any candidate to express their disapproval through the electoral process rather than violence.
“Whoever is angry at any candidate of any political party should display the anger with the ballot paper on voting day by a simple thumbprint, not by violent acts during campaigns,” Keyamo said.
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