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The Edo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has Chided the Senator Monday Okpebholo-led state government over what it called provocative and destructive politics of the current administration in the state against the immediate past governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki.
In a statement signed by Dan Osa-Ogbegie, the
Publicity Secretary, Edo State PDP, and made available to the media, the main opposition party in the state said it regretted the ongoing campaign of calumny against the former governor,
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Edo State Chapter, wishes to alert Edo people, Nigerians, and the Federal Government to the ongoing, coordinated and increasingly reckless campaign of calumny, provocation, distortion and hostility being orchestrated by the Edo State Government under Senator Monday Okpebholo and his cohort of overbearing APC godfathers,” the party said.
It said the APC-led state government has continued to seek to tarnish the image of the governor.
“For months, the APC-led administration has deliberately sought to bait, distract and tarnish former Governor Godwin Obaseki, a leader who served Edo State with transparency, prudence, institutional reform and clarity of purpose. This lingering resentment stems from Obaseki’s principled refusal to surrender Edo’s resources to private pockets — a tradition entrenched under their former leader, Adams Oshiomhole, but courageously halted by Obaseki.”
The PDP said the state government has engaged in the destruction of the legacies of the former governor, listing such achievements as targets of the state government to include Saro Farms in Orhionmwon and Ovia, and Benin Enterprise Park, among others.
“Instead of governing responsibly, the Okpebholo administration has spent its early months dismantling, undermining or frustrating the legacy projects and institutional gains of the Obaseki era. Edo people have watched, with disbelief, as the following acts of sabotage have unfolded: Attacks on Saro Farms in Orhionmwon and Ovia. The hostility, disruptions and reported destruction of Saro Farms — one of the largest agricultural investments attracted under Obaseki — constitute a devastating blow to investor confidence. The pattern of intimidation suggests a coordinated action believed to be sponsored by elements in the Edo State Government and their APC backers. It is a direct assault on the agricultural revolution Obaseki championed.
“Suspension and Discrediting of the Benin Enterprise Park. This landmark industrialisation project, conceptualised and advanced under Obaseki, was mindlessly suspended and publicly disparaged for no reason other than APC’s inability to tolerate any developmental legacy tied to him.
“Hostility to the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA). Rather than sustain Edo’s rising global cultural profile, the government encouraged toxic narratives and reckless actions culminating in the disgraceful security collapse that allowed hoodlums to invade a facility hosting foreign diplomats. This was a calculated attempt to stain Obaseki’s globally celebrated cultural reforms.
“Reversal of EdoGIS and Digital Land Reforms The digital transparency that sanitised Edo’s opaque land administration has been rolled back, returning the state to an era of racketeering, political land seizures and institutional opacity.
“Reversal of Civil Service Reforms. The vibrant, merit-driven and digitalised civil service Obaseki built is being dragged back to the days of drudgery, corruption, bottlenecks and lethargy. Promotions, assessments and workflows have reverted to patronage and paper-based inefficiency.
“Attempted Destruction of Educational Gains Under EdoBEST. EdoBEST, a globally celebrated basic education model that lifted Edo pupils from learning poverty to national and international acclaim, is being sabotaged through political interference, anti-merit appointments and a return to outdated teaching practices.
“Attacks on the Agricultural Investment Pipeline. From the Presco land scandal to the intimidation of investors across the state, the APC-led government is systematically attacking the progress that made Edo Nigeria’s most promising agro-industrial hub,” the PDP regretted.
The opposition party said the destruction of the legacies projects is actually of sabotage, hailing the former governor for maintaining self discipline in the face of provocation.
“These are not acts of governance. They are acts of vendetta, bitterness and political vandalism.
“Despite persistent provocations, Godwin Obaseki has maintained dignity and restraint. He has refused to descend into insults and mudslinging perfected by Okpebholo and his handlers.
“Instead, he has engaged Edo indigenes in the diaspora, giving honest accounts of stewardship — without once referencing the Okpebholo administration, whose operations are remote-controlled by bitter godfathers outside Osadebe Avenue.”
It said the APC is not comfortable with the fact that the immediate past governor still commands global respect.
“The APC is angry because Obaseki still commands global respect. They are enraged because he speaks to Edo people across Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa about achievements they cannot dispute. Their attacks only expose their insecurity.”
They accused the current state government of being run by a godfather, saying the PDP stands with the former governor.
“Edo people know who truly controls the Okpebholo administration. Every major decision is supervised by the same figures who demanded unfettered access to Edo’s treasury during previous APC administrations. Their grievance remains unchanged: Obaseki refused to share Edo’s revenues and insisted that public funds serve the people, not predatory political interests.
“The PDP stands solidly, unequivocally and unapologetically with Mr Godwin Obaseki. We will not allow his legacy to be undermined by those who contributed nothing to Edo’s progress.
“We stand with him because he governed with courage, protected Edo’s treasury, uplifted Edo’s people and resisted the predatory demands of political godfathers. History will vindicate him.”
