Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has condemned the reported obstruction of Peter Obi’s planned visit to Yelwata in Benue State, calling on the media to maintain fairness and neutrality in reporting political confrontations.
Keyamo made the call on Wednesday while reacting to the controversy surrounding the incident involving Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC.
Obi was reportedly stopped by a group of youths while attempting to proceed to Yelwata in Guma Local Government Area, where he was scheduled to meet families affected by the deadly attack on the community in June 2025.
The incident has sparked a political dispute, with the NDC alleging that the youths who blocked Obi’s convoy were sponsored.
The Benue State Government, however, denied involvement and said it was unaware of Obi’s planned visit.
The Benue State Police Command also confirmed that it was aware of Obi’s movement and had provided security for the visit. The police, however, said the reason the youths blocked the convoy remained unknown and that investigations were ongoing.
Reacting to the development, Keyamo said the reported blockade should be condemned regardless of the political affiliation of those responsible.
He argued that politicians should be free to travel, campaign and engage with citizens without being subjected to intimidation, harassment or violence.
According to the minister, even if Obi’s proposed visit was viewed by some as politically motivated, that would not justify preventing him from accessing the community.
“Some have also accused Obi of attempting to whip up fresh emotions by attempting to visit Yelwata, where the unfortunate killings happened more than a year ago, just for political reasons, hence the blockade. That is still not acceptable,” Keyamo said.
He added that politicians should be allowed to move freely and conduct their activities without crude interference.
The minister also criticised what he described as partisan reporting of political confrontations, accusing sections of the media of applying different standards depending on the political affiliation of those involved.
“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.
Keyamo argued that confrontations involving All Progressives Congress candidates were sometimes portrayed as evidence of public rejection, while similar incidents involving opposition politicians were reported as attacks allegedly carried out by sponsored thugs.
He therefore urged journalists and media organisations to apply the same standards to all political parties and candidates.
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“The Press must extricate itself from such partisanship and be fair to all,” the minister said.
Keyamo further maintained that political disagreements should not degenerate into violence, stressing that Nigerians have the opportunity to express their choices through the ballot box.
He said anyone dissatisfied with a candidate or political party should use the ballot paper to reject them during elections rather than resorting to violence during campaigns.
The controversy surrounding Obi’s Benue visit comes as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, with parties and their supporters increasingly trading accusations over political freedom, campaign access and the conduct of their opponents.
The Yelwata attack of June 2025 was one of the deadliest incidents recorded in Benue, with reports indicating that more than 100 people were killed.
Obi had planned to visit the affected community to commiserate with families who lost loved ones and assess the situation.
For Keyamo, however, political differences or suspicions about a candidate’s motives should not be used to justify restricting lawful movement.
He called on Nigerians to channel political grievances through democratic processes and ensure that campaigns remain peaceful ahead of the 2027 elections.