By Osagie Ize-Iyamu
Ordinarily, I would not respond to every political commentary, particularly when it comes from individuals whose positions are already well known to the public. However, when statements are released in a manner that may mislead our people or distort recent history, it becomes necessary to provide clarity, not to trade words, but to ensure that the truth is preserved.
I read the recent publication credited to Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, the factional chairman of the PDP. While he is entitled to his opinions, some of the claims he made require proper context so that Edo people are not misinformed. Interestingly, even within his submissions, there are acknowledgements that highlight some of the very issues Edo people have repeatedly raised about the immediate past administration.
Let me restate what is already evident to all: Edo State is on a new path. In just one year, Governor Monday Okpebholo has brought back a climate of hope, order, accountability, and genuine development- development that citizens can see, feel, and benefit from. This stands in contrast to the previous pattern of grand announcements that delivered very little to the ordinary Edo person.
Our people deserve honest engagement, not political misdirection. My intention is simply to ensure that facts remain facts, and that the progress being made today is not overshadowed by unfounded narratives.
First truth Oziegbemi accidentally told
The first clear truth he inadvertently revealed was his acknowledgment of the Benin flyover project, a project the previous administration did not initiate in eight years, yet under Governor Monday Okpebholo, is already rising visibly and progressing steadily toward completion. That acknowledgment alone highlights the contrast in vision and commitment between both administrations.
Anyone familiar with the Ikpoba Hill axis of Benin, the gateway to Edo Central and Edo North, understands the gridlock, delays, and hardship that commuters have endured for years due to the heavy traffic on that route. The ongoing flyover is intended to permanently resolve that problem and ease movement for thousands of Edo people who rely on that corridor daily.
It is important to state that leadership requires presence, accountability, and continuity. A former governor who has chosen to remain outside the state since leaving office cannot credibly evaluate a government that is on ground, engaging with the people, and working consistently to rebuild what was left behind.
Public service is about responsibility, not commentary from a distance. Those who were entrusted with leadership yesterday must also be willing to answer for the choices they made, just as those in leadership today must be ready to account for their actions. It is only on this basis that assessments can be fair, factual, and meaningful.
Mandate is legitimate; overwhelming
Let it be said without ambiguity: Governor Monday Okpebholo’s mandate is not accidental. It was clear, decisive, and affirmed by every tribunal. Edo people rejected Obaseki, rejected PDP propaganda, and embraced a governor who is humble enough to serve and strong enough to deliver.
I contested against former Governor Obaseki for the governorship of the state in 2016 and 2020, when INEC declared him winner in both elections, I went to court to dispute the declaration, especially as the first election was generally acknowledged to have been won by me. Even the physical counting of votes done before the governorship tribunal showed clearly that the results that were announced were a lot higher than the actual votes counted, the tribunal still upheld that Obaseki won the election. I went all the way to the Supreme Court, and that verdict remained unchanged. It is on record that immediately after the Supreme Court pronouncement, I congratulated Governor Obaseki as a firm believer in the rule of law.
Throughout his eight years in office, I never criticized him or his government. Obaseki and his cohorts must put their disappointment and bitterness aside, accept the overwhelming verdict of the tribunal, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court that Senator Monday Okpebholo won the election and is the rightful Governor of Edo State. They must also give him a chance to govern and develop the state rather than endless wailing and deliberate falsehoods to discredit his government.
On infrastructure: the lie and the truth
For eight years, former Governor Obaseki left much of Edo State, including large parts of Edo South, his own senatorial district without the physical development the people desperately needed. Instead of real infrastructure, our state was treated to presentations, projections, and endless PowerPoints that produced no meaningful improvement on the ground.
In contrast, within just one year, Governor Monday Okpebholo has begun addressing long-standing infrastructural failures that were ignored for nearly a decade:
Benin Flyovers at Ramat Park and Adesuwa Junction
These are not conceptual drawings or digital designs. They are real structures that Edo people can see; they are strategic projects intentionally sited in Edo South to ease traffic, improve commerce, and demonstrate a commitment to equity and balanced development.
Road Interventions Across the state
Years of neglect left roads across all three senatorial districts in deplorable condition. The Okpebholo administration has now begun a phased and systematic approach to rehabilitation- addressing critical sections in Edo Central, Edo North, and Edo South. While the challenges remain particularly severe in Edo South, work has commenced in priority areas, and the government has also taken responsibility for several federal and LGA roads because, in the Governor’s words, “a bad road does not ask who owns it before it affects Edo lives.” This is what responsible and compassionate leadership looks like: recognising the scale of decay and beginning the process of rebuilding with sincerity, not excuses.
Education: the myth of ‘Edobest’
For eight years, Obaseki promoted reforms that were heavy on presentations but light on real outcomes; endless slogans; tablets without teachers; and training programmes that led to no actual employment.
Yet in just one year, Governor Monday Okpebholo has employed 5,000 teachers, a milestone the previous administration never reached. The message is simple: no amount of presentations can replace the impact of qualified teachers in the classroom.
Alongside this, there is ongoing renovation and construction of primary and secondary school facilities across the state to ensure that learning takes place in safe and conducive environments.
ON AAU Ekpoma: From captivity to liberation
Obaseki strangled AAU with an illegal SIT, dismantled its stability, and reduced its funding to a disgraceful ₦41 million monthly, leading to the dismissal of patriotic lecturers.
But in one year, Governor Okpebholo has: Restored lawful governance; Enabled the emergence of a legitimate Vice Chancellor; Increased monthly allocation to ₦500 million; Returned AAU to dignity and progress. This is leadership grounded in justice and compassion.
Apart from AAU Ekpoma, the Usen Polytechnic, in Ovia South West, long neglected to the status of a secondary school is now wearing a new look. The internal roads have been tarred by the NDDC courtesy of the governor’s robust engagement with the Commission to do more in Edo State.
The Edo State University Uzairue is now better funded under the administration of Sen Monday Okpebholo unlike former Governor Obaseki who was determined to willfully close the University because it was established by his predecessor, Sen. Adams Oshiomhole, who ironically was also his benefactor.
On economy: The real numbers
Under Obaseki, Edo’s IGR was drained by ‘consultants’ who were merely proxies.
Under Okpebholo: Middlemen removed; Leakages blocked; Revenue entering government coffers- not private pockets. This is why Edo’s IGR is rising steadily.
Edo Line, which had become moribund under the previous administration despite claims of technocratic expertise, has been revived by Governor Monday Okpebholo under the rebranded New Edo Line. Today, the company operates with a fleet of over one hundred buses, expanded terminals across the country, and a renewed, competent management team- creating meaningful employment for many Edo people.
In addition, new buses have been ordered for the Edo City Transport Service. This intervention will not only generate more jobs but also improve mobility and ease intra-state transportation for residents.
On security: from chaos to control
The past administration left Edo in frightening insecurity and violent cultism. It is symbolic that Dr. Tony Aziegbemi himself was kidnapped under that chaotic climate. But within one year, Governor Okpebholo has: Provided patrol vehicles, motorbikes, and operational support; Strengthened community policing ;Supported night patrols with logistics and allowances; taken firm action against cultism that Obaseki administration enabled; reduced violent crime across the state. Security is not a slogan. It is action- and Okpebholo has taken it.
On social welfare and humanity
Governor Okpebholo’s compassion is visible:
₦1 billion support fund for traders; ₦1 billion bursary approved for Edo students—never done in Obaseki’s era; Reopening the Central Hospital destroyed to serve private interests; rebuilding Oba Market left in ruins for years by Obaseki in the heart of Benin; established a School of Nursing in Edo Central; reactivating Customary Courts statewide;swearing in judges Obaseki unlawfully blocked for years; payment of backlog of salaries and benefits owed to dismissed staff of College of Education, Ekiadolor, which Obaseki was responsible for but refused to pay.
This is governance with a heart, unlike Obaseki who was nicknamed Ematon (Iron) by public servants in the state.
On agriculture: Real investment, not ‘audio agric’
Obaseki’s ESOP project was a land-grabbing enterprise that robbed Orhionmwon and Ovia communities of their ancestral lands and handed the benefits to outsiders and cronies. Edo State itself had no equity. In contrast, Okpebholo has: Raised the agriculture budget ; Invested in real tractors- not laptops ; Given farmers grants quietly, without consultants or needless MOUs; empowered rural communities directly.
This is agriculture for the people.
On MOWAA, and the grand deception
Obaseki demolished a century-old Central Hospital to create an otherwise worthy project but dubiously tied to his private business network through Afrinvest and Phillip Iheanacho. Till date, Obaseki and his stooges on the MOWAA Board have refused to acknowledge the contribution of Edo State in terms of conceptualization, land, and financial contribution to the realization of the project. More worrisome, is the lack of disclosure of names of donors and amount contributed for the project. That is the truth. A man who cannibalised heritage for personal benefit and one who cannot even visit his state after leaving office cannot lecture Edo people on museums.
Governance style: Peace over conflict Governor Okpebholo is not fighting: his deputy, the House of Assembly, judges, traditional rulers, elders or youths.
He respects institutions. He values peace. He listens. This alone marks a total departure from eight years of hostility, arrogance, and needless wars.
A word to Dr. Tony Aziegbemi
A factional chairman who secretly sends his admiration of the leadership capacity and style of Governor Okpebholo should have remained quiet, instead of lending his name to a publication, sponsored by Obaseki, filled with vexatious fabrications.
But we understand: Those who supervised eight years of emptiness will always tremble before one year of progress.
Final verdict
Let me say this with complete conviction: In just one year, Governor Monday Okpebholo has achieved more for Edo people than Obaseki achieved in eight grievous years.
Obaseki’s ’30 projects’ were mostly: Audio announcements, PowerPoint animations, Projects structured to benefit Godwin Obaseki, his company Afrinvest, his cronies, and outsiders, not Edo people.
But Okpebholo has already delivered more than 30 tangible, verifiable, people-centred projects in less than one year. Those still praising Obaseki should first encourage him to visit home, even briefly. After eight years as a visiting governor, the least he can do is return to the state he abandoned.
Conclusion
Edo State is finally on the path of restoration, fairness, and responsible leadership.
I make bold to say that Governor Monday Okpebholo has restored the soul of governance in Edo State. His achievements are for the people- not for himself. And those hired to malign him should bow their heads in shame and join the liberation already underway.
Edo belongs to all of us. And the hand of God is upon this new season.
God bless Edo State. God bless the Governor. God bless our people.
•Pastor Ize-Iyamu is a former APC governorship candidate in Edo State.
