Activist and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) member Aisha Yesufu has described Peter Obi as one of the most courageous politicians in Nigeria, citing his decision to visit Yelwata in Benue State despite the security concerns surrounding the community.
Yesufu made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday while discussing Obi’s recent visit to Benue State.
She compared Obi’s visit with President Bola Tinubu’s previous visit to Benue following the deadly attack on Yelwata in June 2025, claiming that Tinubu did not visit the affected community during that trip.
Yesufu also referred to a previous presidential visit to Plateau State following an attack in Angwan Rukuba, Jos North Local Government Area, saying Tinubu did not enter Jos during the visit.
“There is no politician in Nigeria that is as courageous as Peter Obi. That same Yelwata that he was going to, Mr Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not go there the last time, if I’m not mistaken, where he said the road or whatever was bad,” Yesufu said.
“We saw a situation whereby he went to Jos, he only stayed. That’s someone who is supposedly called the commander-in-chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, right? He couldn’t even enter Jos.
“Peter Obi had been to Benue before; this time he was going to that same Yelwata.”
Yesufu said Obi had to remain strategic during the Benue visit because he had several other engagements scheduled for the same day.
She explained that Obi was expected to travel from Benue to Plateau before proceeding to Europe, arguing that spending additional time confronting people who obstructed his movement would have been unnecessary.
“On that day, that was not the only trip that Mr Peter Obi was going to do,” she said.
“He was going to be in Benue; from Benue he was going to Plateau, and from Plateau he was going to Europe.
“And so, for him to now take his time, you’re talking about people who are jobless, who don’t have anything, who don’t have anything other than sitting down, and I’m talking about the governor of Benue state.
“Now, the governor of Benue state, who calls himself the chief security officer of that state, right? Who sits down, and at the end of the day his people are being killed, there’s no place where you’re seeing him mobilising to ensure that his people are defended.”
The activist argued that Obi should not allow his opponents to determine how he responds to political or security-related confrontations.
She said the NDC presidential candidate had important engagements to attend and that his decision not to engage those who obstructed his movement should be viewed as a strategic choice rather than a sign of weakness.
Yesufu maintained that Obi’s visit to Benue was important and disclosed that he would return to the state again.
Source: Channels Television
