Valentine Obienyem, spokesperson for Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi, has published a notification letter proving that the Benue State Commissioner of Police was duly informed ahead of Obi’s visit to the state. The release of the document follows an incident where suspected thugs blocked Obi’s convoy, preventing him from accessing the Yelwata community and forcing him to turn back.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The state government, however, accused Obi of failing to inform the governor, Hyacinth Alia and the state government of his visit, adding that no security arrangements had been made ahead of his reported movement.

The government argued that a visit by a presidential candidate should ordinarily be communicated to the relevant security agencies to allow adequate protection.

However, Obienyem shared a letter on social media indicating that the Benue State Commissioner of Police had been notified before the visit.

The letter, dated September 7, 2026, was signed by the NDC Chairman in Benue State, Ohini Ojegbe.

The police acknowledged it the same day and signed it with an officer identified as Daniel Tarwa.

Tarwa, a superintendent of police, confirmed to Premium Times on Wednesday that the police indeed received the letter from the NDC and equally provided security cover for Obi.

“I respectfully write to notify your office that the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, His Excellency Peter Obi, will be coming to Benue State on Tuesday, 8th September 2026. He is scheduled to arrive in Makurdi at about 8 a.m. and will immediately proceed from the Airport to Yelwata to meet with family members and representatives of the community affected by the 2025 massacre,” Ojegbe stated in the letter

The NDC chairman also informed the police that Obi planned to visit a memorial site to pay his respects to victims and lay a wreath in their honour.

“The visit will be very brief as the Presidential Candidate and his entourage will leave Yelwata and Benue State immediately after the visit, before noon.

“We request you to kindly provide security cover for him and his entourage,” Ojegbe added.

Afia TV journalist Cece Emechebe has projected that Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde might ultimately miss out on the 2027 presidential ballot. Sharing her political assessment during a Tuesday interview on Afia TV, Emechebe suggested that as the elections approach and Makinde’s political trajectory remains fluid, he could bypass a full presidential run to negotiate a last-minute alliance with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and back President Bola Tinubu, driven partly by ethnic alignment as a fellow Yoruba man.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

While currently contesting under the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM)—having secured the party’s presidential ticket during a May 2026 rally in Ibadan—Emechebe maintains that Makinde lacks the robust mandate required to see the race through to the end, pointing instead toward an inevitable political coalition.

Emechebe elaborated on these possibilities, stating:

“There’s another chance that he might decide to switch and then ally with the ruling party at the last moment and then sell his votes to Tinubu, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on the grounds of a number of factors like ethnicity. He’s a Yoruba man after all. I’m just painting the scenarios that could happen.

But whatever happens at the end of the day, one thing is certain: you can say you heard it from me first. Seyi Makinde will not end up on that ballot fully when the rubber hits the fire. He’s not going to be on that ballot because he doesn’t have a strong enough mandate to pursue this. But he’s going to form an alliance, with whom is yet to be seen.”

Senator Seriake Dickson, the National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has stated that the party has successfully settled its internal matters by finalizing its candidates and is now fully dedicated to winning the 2027 general election. Speaking on Wednesday during an appearance on Arise Television’s Prime Time, Dickson addressed the dynamics between the party and the primary support bases of its presidential standard-bearer, Peter Obi, and vice-presidential running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso. He emphasized that the ultimate objective for all affiliated groups is securing victory at the polls.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶