By Fred Chukwuelobe

Peter Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, was today stopped from entering bandit-ravaged part of Benue State by youths who reportedly chanted, “Obi, go back!” Some of them were said to be wielding knives, machetes and other dangerous weapons, forcing Obi’s convoy to make a life-saving retreat.

This is not the first time Peter Obi has been stopped from accessing parts of Benue. In April 2025, his planned humanitarian visit to IDP camps in the state was blocked by the government of Governor Hyacinth Alia, who cited security and protocol concerns. Obi accused the government of politicising what he said was a humanitarian mission.

Now, this happens again. And it is coming at a time when Benue remains one of the states battling the devastating consequences of insecurity and displacement. You would therefore expect that anybody coming to identify with victims of banditry and violence should be welcomed, or at least allowed to go about his business peacefully.

The irony is difficult to miss. Governor Hyacinth Alia is a Catholic priest who became a politician. Peter Obi is a Catholic and a papal knight. His brother is a priest and his sister a reverend sister. He ought to understand religion very well. But politics, as we have seen repeatedly in Nigeria, has a way of stripping away the piety that people display when they are in the pulpit.

Let me say this again: the moment a priest or pastor joins partisan politics and becomes a governor, senator or any other political office holder, he is a politician. He should be judged as a politician and not as a man of God. The cassock does not automatically confer sainthood.

I have been shouting from the rooftops for about 20 years that organised religion is one of the biggest frauds ever foisted on mankind, and many people still don’t get it. Religion and spirituality are two different things. Once religion becomes an organised institution with power, money and political influence, human beings will inevitably bring their worst instincts into it.

Benue people are predominantly Catholic, and this is the second time they are electing a Catholic priest as governor. The first was Rev. Father Moses Adasu. Interestingly, Governor Alia had denied Obi access to the state before.

So, I ask: why did Obi try it again? Was he daring the governor? Was he simply determined to go because he believed he had a legitimate reason to be there? I don’t know.

But frankly, I am not surprised by what happened.

And I am not saying that because I support the use of thugs. I don’t. Political thuggery is one of the most despicable things in our politics. If today’s incident was politically sponsored, then those behind it should be exposed and dealt with. Nobody has the right to prevent a Nigerian politician from moving around the country with knives and machetes.

We saw something similar in Edo State when Peter Obi and members of his political movement were attacked. The governor denied responsibility and the authorities subsequently made arrests. But whether the politicians ordered these attacks or not, the message coming from these incidents is frightening.

This is the beginning of what we should expect as we approach 2027 if Nigerians do nothing. Politicians will mobilise their foot soldiers, opponents will be treated as enemies, and violence will gradually become part of the electoral process.

The hardship Nigerians are facing has not stopped politicians from maintaining their armies of supporters and thugs. The ordinary Nigerian is struggling to eat, pay rent and survive, while some political loyalists are prepared to fight and even die for politicians whose own children are nowhere near the battlefield.

If you think 2027 will be different, think again.

What happened in Benue should concern every Nigerian. Today it is Peter Obi. Tomorrow it could be another candidate – or any ordinary citizen who happens to stand in the way of somebody’s political interest.

Should we fold our arms and allow political thugs and their sponsors to have their way?

Maybe we should all become thugs. After all, only those who place little value on their own lives engage in thuggery.

And yes, some reverend fathers are also thugs.

Only the cassock makes them look different.

This opinion piece is authored by Fred Chukwuelobe,fnipr, journalist and public affairs commentator, who writes from Lagos.