The presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has arrived in Jos, Plateau State, ahead of a solidarity visit to Mangu Local Government Area, where several communities were recently attacked by bandits.

Obi arrived at the Yakubu Gowon Airport in Heipang on Tuesday and was received by Plateau State executives and other chieftains of the NDC, alongside party supporters and stakeholders.

The former Anambra State governor is expected to proceed to Mangu to assess the situation and meet with victims of the violence, bereaved families, community leaders and other stakeholders.

The visit is aimed at expressing solidarity with residents affected by the attack, which reportedly resulted in deaths, injuries and the destruction of property.

Obi is also expected to commiserate with families who lost loved ones and offer encouragement to residents still dealing with the consequences of the violence.

His arrival in Plateau came against the backdrop of an earlier incident in Benue State, where his convoy was reportedly blocked by suspected thugs shortly after he arrived in the state.

Obi had said his Benue visit was not connected to political campaigning, but was intended to enable him condole with victims of violence and identify with affected communities.

“I am in Benue today not for campaigns. I only wanted to go to a place where people lost their lives, to condole and show solidarity with them,” he said.

Reacting to the incident, the NDC presidential candidate also lamented what he described as the growing degeneration of politics in Nigeria, stressing that political differences should not supersede the need for national unity.

“You can see the level to which our politics has degenerated,” Obi said.