Benue State Commissioner for Information, Solomon Iorpev, has accused presidential candidate Peter Obi of repeatedly ignoring official protocol during his visits to the state.
Iorpev made the comment while reacting to an incident in which some youths reportedly blocked Obi during his visit to Benue on Tuesday.
According to the commissioner, Obi, being a former governor and a high-profile political figure, should have formally notified the Benue State Government before arriving so that adequate security arrangements could be made.
He said the state government was responsible for ensuring Obi’s safety but could not guarantee his protection because it was not officially informed about the visit.
Iorpev added that this was not the first occasion on which Obi had visited the state without notifying the government. He described Benue as a peaceful and hospitable state and said Obi was unnecessarily creating tension with the authorities.
The commissioner also said he was unaware of the identities of the youths who blocked Obi’s movement. He explained that Obi’s visit coincided with a gathering of youths from the state’s 23 local government areas, suggesting that the incident may have occurred as a result of the timing.
He maintained that the government regretted the disruption and reiterated that proper communication would have allowed security agencies and the state authorities to make adequate arrangements for Obi’s visit.
