By Winnie Onu, Makurdi
A former Nigerian Ambassador to Namibia, Terhemen Tarzoor, has urged the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, to apologise to Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, over the controversy surrounding his recent attempt to visit the state.
Tarzoor, who described the development as “un-statesmanlike”, said Obi had several channels through which he could have reached the governor instead of allowing political sentiments to influence his actions.
Speaking on the development in Makurdi on Thursday, the former ambassador said, “It is like people who are engaging in a walk in the park to say that Peter Obi can’t reach the governor, who is in Nigeria. It is not good to the ears.”
He said the governor was accessible and that Obi, being a Knight and a senior Knight, could even use religious channels to reach him.
“The governor is not in the moon. He is here in Benue State, and he can even get to the governor through the religious apparatus, being a Knight and a very senior Knight for that matter,” Tarzoor said.
According to him, Obi knows the proper channels of communication but may have been swayed by sentiments from people around him, stressing that political actors should not encourage violence through their utterances or actions.
“And if you are playing the music of violence, then you expect people who are violent to dance to that music,” he said.
Tarzoor said if he had his way, he would advise Obi to apologise to Alia, noting that the former Anambra State governor had visited Plateau State, where, according to him, communication was established with the state government.
“He went to Plateau State, and of course there was communication. So what’s stopping him from communicating to the governor of Benue State?” he asked.
He also recalled that Obi was in Benue South, popularly known as Zone C, weeks ago, but did not meet with the governor, adding that the NDC presidential candidate should learn to lead by example if he intends to govern Nigeria.
Tarzoor said Obi’s status as a former governor and presidential candidate demanded a higher level of political maturity, urging him to learn how to win over people who oppose him.
“You want to rule Nigeria, so you should learn as much as possible to lead by example, no matter what it takes. Much is expected of you to show that you are above these little sentiments,” he said.
The former ambassador cited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ability to work with former political opponents as an example of political maturity, saying several people currently working with the President had previously opposed him.
He said, “The highest quality we ascribe to politicians who have seen it all is your ability to convert people who oppose you to work for you and give you results. Then we will say you have arrived politically.”
On allegations of the Presidency’s involvement in the incident, Tarzoor dismissed the claims as unsubstantiated, saying they remained allegations without facts.
“I am happy that you are starting with the word allegations. There are no facts to it. It’s normal in politics; allegations, counter-allegations and all that,” he said.
Tarzoor also cited the 2026 Osun State governorship election, saying Tinubu had congratulated the governor after the election and received him at the Presidential Villa despite the reported loss of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He therefore questioned why the President would allegedly support a free and fair election in one state and seek to prevent Obi from visiting another.
“So why would the President choose to be cherry-picking? I want Osun State, but when it’s Benue, I don’t want Peter Obi to go to Benue. It doesn’t add up,” Tarzoor said.
