Former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, stepped into a volatile situation in Olamaboro Local Government Area, Kogi State, on Tuesday.
His timely intervention came as tensions escalated between lorry drivers and police officers on duty after a policeman allegedly shot the tyre of a trailer driver, sparking protests among other drivers.
Dr. Valentine Obienyem, special adviser to Obi on media who was in Obi’s convoy narrated that they left Onitsha on Tuesday morning and as they got to the area they “encountered a long line of stationary vehicles stretching for about half a kilometre.
He continued: “Upon inquiry, we learned that the police had shot the tyre of a trailer driver, leading all the trailer drivers at the scene to block the road in protest.
“It was at that point that Obi alighted from his vehicle and walked to the epicentre where he met hundreds of drivers protesting the ill-treatment meted to their colleagues on one hand and commuters who felt stranded and delayed by the commotion.
“His arrival doused the tense atmosphere among the drivers and angry commuters alike who quickly turned cheerful, with chants of ‘Our President!’
“When Obi got to the driver who spoke in Hausa language and had been crying over his damaged tyre, the man’s mood changed instantly.
“Rather than continue to lament, he began taking selfies with Mr. Obi, and soon, an epidemic of selfies broke out among the crowd.
“Without even waiting for Obi to plead with him, the driver exclaimed in Hausa (as translated by those nearby), Who am I for Obi to beg me and immediately cleared the road, much to everyone’s relief.
“Apart from the driver the crowd of drivers and passengers who were delayed by the protest took advantage of Obi’s presence to take selfies with him.”