NEWS
“One Million-Man March” Planned in Benue State as Obidient Movement Mobilises Supporters in Makurdi
Supporters of the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, under the aegis of the Obidient Movement, have announced plans to stage a one million-man march in Benue State, signalling a major mobilisation of the group ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The planned demonstration is scheduled to hold on Saturday, September 12, 2026, in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, with supporters expected to converge at the Wurukum Roundabout from 9am.
The announcement was contained in a flyer circulating on social media on Friday and shared by Isaac Fayose, younger brother of former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose.
Issued by the Benue State chapter of the movement, the flyer described the gathering as a “One Million Man March” organised in solidarity with “A New Nigeria.”
The planned mobilisation comes against the backdrop of heightened political attention surrounding Peter Obi’s recent visit to Benue State and an incident involving his convoy.
Obi had travelled to the state as part of a visit to Yelwata, where he was expected to meet families affected by the deadly June 2025 massacre.
However, his convoy was reportedly stopped by youths at Gyado along the Gboko Road shortly after his arrival in the state, preventing him from proceeding to his intended destination.
The development generated widespread reactions, particularly among Obi’s supporters and opposition figures, with some alleging that the youths involved may have been acting with the backing of the Benue State Government.
The state government, however, strongly denied having any prior knowledge of Obi’s visit and rejected suggestions that the youths who blocked the convoy were acting on behalf of Governor Hyacinth Alia or his administration.
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Alia, Kula Tersoo, said the state government was unaware that the former Anambra State governor was visiting Benue.
“We are not aware of his coming to the state, and if it were to be security agents that stopped him, it would have been easy for us to find out what happened,” Tersoo said.
He also questioned how the incident occurred despite the security personnel attached to Obi, stressing that security authorities in the host state would ordinarily be expected to receive information about the movement of a presidential candidate visiting the state.
Tersoo further dismissed allegations that the youths involved in the incident were sponsored by the Alia administration, insisting that the government did not patronise thuggery and did not regard Obi as a political threat to the governor.
“We were surprised that youth would stop someone, youth cannot do anything on behalf of the government.
“Our government doesn’t patronize thugs and in any case Obi is not a threat to the governor,” he added.
Meanwhile, the planned march has taken on added political significance, with supporters of the Obidient Movement describing it as an opportunity to demonstrate their organisational strength and presence in Benue.
A supporter of the movement, Ndubuisi Nicholas Ifedoro, also suggested that the mobilisation would provide an avenue for the Obidient and Kwankwasiya movements to make their presence felt in the state.
In a Facebook post directed at Governor Alia, Ifedoro said the groups were coming to Benue to publicly demonstrate their political presence while maintaining that their participation would remain peaceful.
“You call for it and they have answered you. It’s either you allow democracy to prosper or it will happen the way you want it to happen.
“We are peace-loving Nigerians like our Principal Mr. Peter Obi but do not take our calm or peaceful way for a fool,” he wrote.
The proposed march is therefore expected to attract significant attention in Makurdi, particularly given the controversy surrounding Obi’s recent visit and the renewed political activity among his supporters across the state.