The Benue State Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu, has said the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, did not ask him to transmit its letter notifying him of Peter Obi’s visit to the state to Governor Hyacinth Alia.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Lunch Time Politics programme on Thursday, Nwadiogbu said the letter was presented to him by members of the NDC who visited his office to inform the police command about Obi’s planned arrival in the state.

According to him, the notification was primarily for security arrangements.

He said NDC members initially informed his Police Public Relations Officer that they intended to visit him but arrived at about 5:30pm after waiting several hours.

“On that very day, my PRO came to me and said members of NDC said they are paying me a visit. I said, well, I am currently in the office, and the PRO said they are coming by 3pm. I said, ‘Okay.’

“We waited from 3pm to 4 to 4:30. Eventually, they arrived around 5:30, when we were about to leave the office. They visited me; by the end of the discussion, they presented me with a letter and told me the main issue that brought them: that the presidential candidate is going to be in town by 8am the next day.

“I said, ah, we don’t have police kept in any room or store or like a yam barn. All our men are always engaged on duty. Everywhere in Nigeria, we lack manpower, so all our men are always engaged. For us to give out men, we’ll need time to make men available for every operation,” he said.