{"id":117392,"date":"2025-04-14T23:32:57","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T22:32:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=117392"},"modified":"2025-04-14T23:32:57","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T22:32:57","slug":"benue-visit-not-about-politics-obi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/benue-visit-not-about-politics-obi\/","title":{"rendered":"Benue Visit Not About Politics\u2013 Obi"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"m#msg-f:1829409399188132681\" class=\"mail-message expanded\">\n<div class=\"mail-message-header spacer\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Myke Agunwa<\/div>\n<div id=\"m#msg-f:1829409399188132681-content\" class=\"mail-message-content collapsible zoom-normal mail-show-images \" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<div class=\"clear\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The Presidential Candidate of Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general election has reaffirmed that his boycotted visit to Benue State was not politically motivated but part of his long standing philanthropic tradition.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Obi in his verified X handle on Monday, stated\u00a0 that he cut short his visit to Benue IDP camp and nursing school following a purported message from the governor that frowned against any unapproved visit to the state.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He said that he had always carried out philanthropic activities even while he was a governor of Anambra State and thereafter.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He said, \u201cI am forced to remind them, and all concerned, that the purpose of this journey is to support good causes in areas of critical development: health and health education, education and caring for our people in need, and this is what I have done in my private life for years before getting into politics and even while in politics I have continued to do so.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cEveryone knew then how I had to get permission from the then President, President Goodluck Jonathan, that I needed to visit Haiti during the earthquake.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cI intended to visit a school being built by the bishop in Gboko, a Nursing school and an IDP camp, actions that reflect my genuine care for the welfare of our fellow citizens, and my continuous show of love, care and compassion to citizens who have been displaced\u201d.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Speaking on the efforts he made to reach the governor before he embarked on the journey, Obi continued, \u201cI tried repeatedly to contact the Benue State Governor directly without success. I then successfully contacted his ADC who told me that the governor was in a very important meeting and would call me before midnight on the same day.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cUnfortunately, I didn\u2019t get that call until Sunday evening when he sent me a message stating he had not been able to reach his principal since the day I called. I was disturbed by how an ADC would not have been able to reach his principal for 3 days.<\/div>\n<div>\u201cHowever, because my visit to the governor was just for courtesy and respect, I decided to proceed with my trip to Makurdi\u201d.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The former Anambra State governor went further to state that \u201cat 7am, I left Jos, and on reaching Akwanga at about 10am, my security team stopped and stated they received a press statement, purportedly from the Benue State Government, that appeared designed to stop my trip. Curiously while I was still talking with my security team on the issue, the Governors ADC sent the statement directly to me.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cThe letter refers exactly to my itinerary which I had earlier conveyed to the ADC directly and to the security operatives in Benue through my own securit\u201d.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cMay God help us as we rebuild our nation and aim to achieve a new Nigeria where we do not politicize everything but allow citizens to exist, and we all should live for the common good for less privileged Nigerians and those in need\u201d.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Recall the governor Hyacinth Alia had on Monday warned against embarking on an unapproved visit to the state.<\/div>\n<div>\u201cThe Governor of Benue State, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, wishes to inform the public that he is not expecting any August visitor to the state today.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cHe is currently engaged in high-profile meetings with key state actors to discuss critical issues affecting our state.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cTherefore, he strongly advises against any group or high profile individual(s) attempting to enter the state for any kind of visit that may generate political assemblies without prior approval.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cFor anyone considering a visit to Benue State without the Governor\u2019s knowledge, it is imperative to reconsider such plans, as the safety and security of individuals in this regard cannot be guaranteed\u201d he said in a statement signed by Tersoo Kula, Chief Press Secretary to the governor.<\/div>\n<div id=\"m_-7903800388503221184ymail_android_signature\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mail-message-footer spacer collapsible\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Myke Agunwa The Presidential Candidate of Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general election has reaffirmed that his boycotted visit to Benue State was not politically motivated but part&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":111185,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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