The reported blockade of NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi’s visit to the violence-ravaged Yelwata community in Benue State has sparked fresh political outrage, with former Deputy President of the 9th Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, demanding a transparent investigation into who allegedly organised the obstruction and why.
Omo-Agege, the NDC candidate for Delta Central Senatorial District in the 2027 elections, described the reported incident as a “national disgrace”, warning that the alleged politicisation of a condolence visit represented a dangerous escalation in Nigeria’s already heated political climate.
According to Omo-Agege, Obi travelled to Yelwata to mourn with residents affected by violence and offer solidarity to bereaved families who, he said, had lost more than 270 members of their community.
But instead of being allowed to reach the grieving community, Obi’s visit was reportedly met with organised hostility that prevented him from carrying out the visit as intended.
Omo-Agege said the development should not be dismissed as another disagreement between rival political camps.
He argued that Nigerians must be able to distinguish between legitimate political competition and conduct that undermines basic democratic freedoms and human dignity.
“What kind of politics has Nigeria descended into when even mourning the dead requires political permission?” he asked.
The former senator said there was nothing political about a visitor seeking to sympathise with families who had lost loved ones.
“There is nothing political about preventing grieving families from receiving visitors who come to share their pain,” he said.
Omo-Agege has consequently demanded a thorough and transparent investigation, insisting that accountability must extend beyond those who may have been physically present at the scene.
He wants the authorities to determine who allegedly organised the obstruction, who mobilised those involved, who financed them and whether anyone issued instructions for the action.
He also demanded answers from the security agencies.
“Were security agencies aware of the situation, and if so, what action did they take?” he asked.
According to Omo-Agege, the investigation should establish the facts and identify anyone found to have organised, financed, authorised or deliberately facilitated an unlawful obstruction.
He warned that there must be no attempt to bury the matter under partisan politics.
“There must be no cover-up, political protection or convenient silence,” he declared.
The NDC candidate said the tragedy in Yelwata should not be appropriated by any political party, insisting that the victims belonged to the entire country.
“Yelwata’s tragedy is not the property of the APC, PDP, Labour Party or NDC. The dead belong to Nigeria, and their families belong to all of us,” he said.
Omo-Agege further maintained that even if Obi had travelled to Yelwata for campaign purposes, his constitutional rights to freedom of movement and association should still be respected.
But he stressed that Obi’s reported purpose was to mourn.
“No one should need a party card to mourn with the bereaved,” he said.
The former Senate presiding officer warned that allowing intimidation to become a normal feature of political competition could eventually threaten other political leaders, communities and ordinary citizens regardless of their political affiliations.
“Today, it is Peter Obi being prevented from visiting grieving Nigerians. Tomorrow, it could be another political leader, another community or another group of victims,” he said.
The controversy comes as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 elections, with rival political camps increasingly seeking to mobilise supporters across the country.
Omo-Agege urged political leaders to draw a clear line between political rivalry and intimidation, saying electoral competition should be settled through debate, persuasion and the ballot box.
He also challenged public officials to uphold the rule of law regardless of political affiliation.
“If anyone in authority believes that political power gives them the right to determine who may visit victims of violence, they have fundamentally misunderstood the responsibilities of public office,” he said.
Omo-Agege said the authorities must demonstrate that accountability applies equally to political allies and opponents.
He argued that political offices and electoral victories were temporary, while the pain suffered by families who lose loved ones could endure for generations.
“Politics will come and go. Elections will come and go. Politicians will come and go. But the dead will remain dead, and the families left behind will continue to live with their pain,” he said.
He expressed solidarity with the victims, survivors and grieving families of Yelwata and condemned what he described as the use of thuggery, intimidation or political influence to obstruct a peaceful act of condolence.
Omo-Agege called for those responsible for the reported obstruction to be identified and, where wrongdoing is established, dealt with according to law.
He said the incident should ultimately be judged not through partisan narratives but through an impartial determination of what happened, who was responsible and whether anyone in authority failed in their duty.
For the Delta Central candidate, the issue now goes beyond Peter Obi or the NDC.
It is a test of whether Nigerians can visit communities devastated by violence, mourn with victims and express solidarity without political intimidation.
“Life comes first. Human dignity comes first. Compassion comes first. Always,” Omo-Agege said.
