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  • Okpebholo, Oshiomhole, Onyema to receive awards at 2025 Etsako Club 81 cultural celebration

    Okpebholo, Oshiomhole, Onyema to receive awards at 2025 Etsako Club 81 cultural celebration

    Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, alongside former Governor and Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, Minister of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, and Air Peace Chairman, Dr. Allen Onyema, are set to be honored at the 2025 Etsako Club 81 Afenmai Cultural Day Celebration in Lagos.

    According to the event’s organizers, the celebration aims to revive the cultural heritage of the Etsako people in Edo North, highlighting their economic potential and attracting global tourism.

    Governor Okpebholo will serve as the Special Guest of Honour, while renowned constitutional lawyer, Professor Mike Ozekhome, will chair the event. Oshiomhole and Onyema will be recognized as Distinguished Guests of Honour, with traditional rulers from Afenmai land presiding as Royal Fathers of the day.

    President of Etsako Club 81 Worldwide, Sir Greg Otsu, told journalists in Lagos that the event, scheduled for Sunday, February 16, at the Naval Dockyard, Victoria Island, will celebrate outstanding Afenmai sons and daughters as well as friends of the community who have excelled in their respective fields.

    Otsu said the theme ‘Reviving Our Afenmai Culture: A Call to Action’ reflects the needs not only for the Etsako people of Nigeria to look inward on how to turn their cultural heritage into money spinning ventures but also a message to other tribes in Nigeria.

    He said: “Our cultures are unique to us as different people from various backgrounds and history. We have for long either neglected these cultural values and potentials or allowed others from outside to negatively influence ours. We have seen how people of other tribes are turning their cultural heritage around and attracting tourists from across the globe, the Afenmai people have a lot of those to offer as well hence the need for this renaissance we are embarking upon.”

    He urged the people of the senatorial region to inculcate the values and culture of the afenmai land in their children wherever they find themselves around the world.

    Read Also: Okpebholo calls one witness, closes case before tribunal

    Otsu called on his kith and kin to rally around Etsako club 81 in its efforts to turn around the economic fortune of their fatherland adding that the prestigious club as over the 40 years of its existence carried our developmental project cutting across education, healthcare, empowerment and ICT in the different local government areas and communities in the region.

    “There is no better way to give back to your community and fatherland than to support the various ongoing initiatives and development activities being carried out across the senatorial district by Etsako Club 81. 

    “Our people deserve our support at this critical time in the history of our country and for us whom God has blessed, we cannot afford to miss this clarion call. I urge my people wherever they are across the world to remember their roots and support its development”, he told journalists.

  • Okpebholo calls one witness, closes case before tribunal

    Okpebholo calls one witness, closes case before tribunal

    • •Action throws PDP, Ighodalo into disarray

    After calling only one witness, Governor Monday Okpebholo yesterday closed his case before the Edo Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja.

    The petitioner, Asue Ighodalo, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 21, last year governorship election, last week closed his case after calling 19 witnesses.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has also closed its case without calling any witnesses.

    The PDP and Ighodalo are challenging the declaration of Okpebholo, who was the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The petitioners are alleging over-voting, non-serialisation of electoral materials and incorrect computation of results by the INEC, acts they claimed were in favour of the APC.

    Okpebholo’s lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), had earlier indicated his client’s intention to call six witnesses, but he ended up calling only one.

    The witness, Majek Osumah, from Ward 7, Unit 4, Ovia Southwest Local Government, testified that the election was conducted under a peaceful atmosphere.

    Osumah, however, noted that the result of Ward 7, Unit 4, was cancelled due to over-voting.

    He claimed to have worked as a polling unit agent, adding that in Form EC8B, the column for the result of his unit had no record.

    The witness stated that the result was cancelled when it was discovered that there was over-voting.

    Osumah said there were complaints and protests, following which the Ward Collation Officer agreed to cancel the results.

    Read Also: Okpebholo: Governor for the “mekunus”, “ndi-ogbenyes”, “talakawas” 

    After his testimony, Ikpeazu announced the closure of the second respondent’s case.

    APC’s lawyer, Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), sought an adjournment to a later date to enable his client to open its defence.

    Justice Wilfred Kpochi, who is the Chairman of the three-member tribunal, adjourned till tomorrow for the APC to open its defence.

    PDP, Ighodalo’s camps in disarray

    The camps of PDP and  Ighodalo have been thrown into disarray as their hope in the tribunal appears to be fading.

    This followed Senator Okpebholo’s decision to present only one witness.

    In what could be described as a mockery of the case presented by the PDP and Ighodalo, which APC calls ‘shambolic,’ Okpebholo’s decision  is seen by legal experts as “a master clapback that has completely removed the life support from PDP’s already dying case.”

    The move shows that the PDP and Ighodalo’s petition is not worth their time. They believe it lacks substance, and therefore the calibre of legal professionals assigned by Governor Okpebholo and the APC won’t waste their time.

    “The onus of proof is on him that alleges. Since the challengers have failed woefully in proving their case, it is needless and time-wasting for the APC to begin to massage the ego of the PDP by presenting witnesses. No need dignifying them with a response, where none is expected,” one of Okpebholo’s lawyers told reporters.

    “The response of the INEC and the APC is strategic, stunning and iconic,” APC State Chairman, Jarret Tenebe, added.

    “Interesting days are here indeed. All of a sudden, the joy of the PDP and their supporters has been cut short. Nowhere to lean on again for support. No one is even willing to give them the opportunity to rant and let out their frustrations. It is sad indeed.

    “These are hard times for Asue, the PDP and their supporters. The party of orphans is left drenched in the rain as they look on, hopelessly, frustrated.

    “Ighodalo, the once self-acclaimed legal icon, is taking Legal Method 101 lessons from Monday Okpebholo, the artesian.

    “What an interesting time to be a Nigerian. Truly, interesting days are upon us!” Tenebe added.

  • Edo poll: Okpebholo closes case as sole witness admits over-voting in Ovia South West LG

    Edo poll: Okpebholo closes case as sole witness admits over-voting in Ovia South West LG

    …APC to open defence Wednesday

    Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State opened and closed his defence on Monday by calling just a witness before the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal hearing the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the last governorship election, Asue Ighodalo.

    The PDP and Ighodalo are, by their petition, marked: EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024 challenging the declaration of Okpebholo, who was the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the governorship election held on September 21, 2024, as the winner.

    The petitioners are among others, alleging over-voting, non-serialization of electoral materials, and incorrect computation of results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), acts they claimed were in favour of the APC.

    Although Okpebholo’s lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) had, before Monday, indicated his client’s intention to call six witnesses, he ended up calling only one on Monday.

    The witness, Majek Osumah, from Ward 7, unit 4, Ovia South West Local Government, testified that the election was conducted under a peaceful atmosphere.

    Osumah however, noted that the result of ward 7, unit 4, was cancelled due to over-voting.

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    He claimed to have worked as a polling unit agent, adding that in Form EC8B, the column for the result of his unit had no record.

    The witness stated that the result was canceled when it was discovered that there was over-voting.

    Osumah said there were complaints and protests, following which the Ward Collation Officer agreed to cancel the results.

    After his testimony, Ikpeazu announced the closure of the second respondent’s case.

    The lawyer to the APC, subsequently sought Emanuel Ukala (SAN) an adjournment to a later date to enable his client to open its defence.

    Justice Wilfred Kpochi, who is the Chairman of the three-member tribunal, adjourned till Wednesday for the APC to open its defence.

  • Okpebholo: Governor for the “mekunus”, “ndi-ogbenyes”, “talakawas” 

    Okpebholo: Governor for the “mekunus”, “ndi-ogbenyes”, “talakawas” 

    By John Mayaki 

    In Yoruba, they are called “mekunus”. In Igbo, they are known as “ndi-ogbenye”, and in Hausa, they are referred to as the “talakawas”. These are the poor masses, the have-nots, the hoi polloi, the proletariat, the downtrodden – the very people whom Governor Monday Okpebholo has become a father and defender. 

    Let’s not forget, so hurriedly too, how for the past 8 years, Edo state was governed by an administration that was more interested in impressing the elites, the well-heeled, the fixed, the well-off, the well-situated, the well-to-do and the prosperous, rather than addressing the suffering of ordinary citizens. 

    Former Governor Godwin Obaseki ran a government where consultants, private firms, and political aristocrats took centre stage, while civil servants, market women, farmers, and artisans were left to fend for themselves. It was a government that spoke the language of the wealthy and turned its back on the “mekunus”, the “ndi-ogbenyes” and the “talakawas”. 

    Thankfully though, Governor Okpebholo is rewriting and changing the narratives – since assuming office, he has championed policies and programs that directly benefits the people. For instance, his administration’s budget for health, agriculture, education, roads and infrastructure – the core areas that touches on the life of the ordinary man attests to his love for the poor. 

    The budgetary allocation for agriculture is somewhere around N70 billion – which of course is a clear indication of his drive towards the mekunus, the farmers, the talakawas and ndi-ogbenye. Unlike Obaseki, who was more fascinated with boardroom politics and slides presentations to deceive the people – Okpebholo is more interested in actual governance and real results. 

    Okpebholo’s agricultural funding is already doing wonders and empowering farmers and subsequently ensuring food affordability – if the funds are well managed by government and the beneficiaries. This is one aspect Obaseki failed to do, especially with his infamous “agriprenuer millionaire scheme” in Sobe and other parts of the state where the funds were simply embezzled. 

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    To further tell us of how Okpebholo is reinforcing his pro-people agenda, he has already disbursed N500 million to farmers and since approved the sum of N1.5 billion for farmers scheme within his three months in office. These are not the privileged elites among us that was picked as beneficiaries; they are the hardworking farmers, the backbone of our economy, and those whom Obaseki neglected and relegated.

    One of Okpebholo’s most decisive interventions was in market regulations. He took on the extortionist trade unions that had long exploited traders and consumers alike. After banning these groups, food prices dropped, and this immediately benefited the mekunus, the ndi-ogbenyes and talakawas. This is in contrast to the previous administration of Obaseki, which allowed cartels to flourish while the common man – the hoi polloi suffered.

    But perhaps Okpebholo’s boldest move yet was his reversal of the Central Hospital travesty. Under Obaseki, this all-important healthcare facility was converted into a museum – a playground for the well-heeled, a symbol of governance that prioritized aesthetics over human lives. Okpebholo, however, has restored the hospital to its rightful purpose: treating the sick, not showcasing relics to satisfy the vanity of the well-heeled. 

    On infrastructure, the difference is night and day. While Obaseki wasted years blaming the federal government for bad roads, Okpebholo rolled up his sleeves and got to work. The same roads Obaseki told Edo people to “manage” and be “patient” and to “bear with him”, are now being fixed – not for the rich who fly over potholes in their SUVs, but for the common man who commutes daily. Not for the prosperous few who fly from the Benin airport to Maitama in Abuja but for the hoi polloi who endure the gallops and dangers of the terrible roads under Obaseki to Gwagwalada in Abuja. 

    Okpebholo has also dismantled the consultant-driven governance model that drained state resources. He has disengaged all external consultants who operated as middlemen siphoning funds, returning control to the civil service. Even more significantly, he has converted casual sweepers who Obaseki kept in job insecurity for eight years into permanent civil servants and would now earn the minimum wage. 

    In education, Okpebholo’s increase in subvention to Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma was not a favor to the elite but a direct relief to struggling students and their parents. Contrast this with Obaseki’s obsession to punish the poor students and university by reducing their subvention to N40 million but Okpebholo has increased it to over N500 million. 

    Another defining trait of Okpebholo’s “governance of the poor, by the poor and for the poor” is his commitment to homegrown leadership. Unlike Obaseki, who had a penchant for importing strangers into government – technocrats who neither understood nor cared for Edo people; Okpebholo has appointed commissioners who are true sons and daughters of the state. These are people who have lived with us, worked with us, and understand our struggles.

    Governor Okpebholo is not just running a government; he is leading a movement – the one that places the talakawas, the mekunus, and the ndi-ogbenye at the heart of governance.

    His brand of politics is not about cocktail parties and elite conferences; it is about real governance, real policies, and the real people. He breathes politics, eats politics, acts politics, dances politics, speaks politics, and practices politics – but all in service of the common man.

    For eight years, Edo State endured a government of the wealthy, for the wealthy, and by the wealthy. Today, under Okpebholo, we finally have a government of the people, for the people, and by the people.

  • Okpebholo: Refocusing local government administration

    Okpebholo: Refocusing local government administration

    The sacking of the 18 local government chairmen and their deputies in Edo State has been described as Governor Monday Okpebholo’s strategy of whipping loyalists of former Governor Godwin Obaseki of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) into line. The development has generated a lot of controversy, Southsouth Bureau Chief BISI OLANIYI reports

    The sacking of the 18 chairmen and vice-chairmen of local government councils in Edo State by members of the House of Assembly, based on a petition by Governor Monday Okpebholo, has refused to go away. It is perhaps the governor’s way of letting the council helmsmen know that a new sheriff is in town. In other words, a strategy of whipping loyalists of former Governor Godwin Obaseki of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) into line.

    The move followed the adoption of a motion by the representative of Esan Northeast 1 constituency, Isibor Adeh, and seconded by the representative of Akoko-Edo 2 constituency, Donald Okogbe. Okpebholo had urged the lawmakers, in a petition to investigate what he described as insubordination and gross misconduct of the council chairmen who allegedly refused to submit the councils’ financial records for scrutiny.

    Adeh, in his motion for the suspension, stated that Section 20 (b) of the Local Government Act empowered the Edo House of Assembly to suspend any errant local government chairman for two months, while the allegation of misconduct was being investigated. Fourteen lawmakers supported the motion for the suspension of the chairmen and their vice, six opposed, while three members abstained.

    Speaker of Edo Assembly, Chief Blessing Agbebaku, who directed the Clerk of the House, Yahaya Omogbai, to do a head count of the members, declared that insubordination and gross misconduct would not be allowed from the council chiefs.

    Okpebholo on December 17, 2024, constituted an administrative panel of inquiry to look into the affairs of the eighteen suspended chairmen and their deputies. The seven-member panel, according to the Secretary to Edo State Government (SSG), Umar Ikhilor, had Solomon Imohiosen as Chairman. Members of the panel included Adaze Emwanta, Patrick Idiake, Dorine Eduwui, Henry Itseuwa, Kazeem Afegbua, and Osagie Asabor (member/secretary).

    Edo PDP chairman, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi condemned the suspension, describing it as “illegal”. He directed the council chairmen and their vice to report to their councils the next day, to carry on with their normal duties. Aziegbemi said: “We want to clearly state that this action is unconstitutional, null, and void. The illegal suspension is a blatant disregard of the recent ruling of the Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Daniel Okungbowa, and the Supreme Court’s decision, in a suit filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, which affirmed the autonomy and independence of local governments, as guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

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    “How can a governor direct the state’s House of Assembly to suspend democratically-elected chairmen of the 18 local councils for insubordination, when the elected officials enjoy autonomy and independence, as enshrined in the Constitution, and are not subordinates of the governor, the State Assembly, or any other arm of government?

    “We are also aware that the chairmen and their vice were not allowed to be heard in their defence, and were suspended unheard on watery trumped-up charges, in total disregard to the Constitution.

    “We want to restate that the Constitution of Nigeria remains supreme, and any attempt to undermine its provisions or disregard the judiciary and its rulings is not only illegal but also a direct attack on democracy and the rule of law.

    “The Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, and the entire Assembly have overstepped their constitutional mandates with the illegal action, and we urge them to immediately reverse the decision, in line with the rule of law and democratic governance.”

    The PDP chairman said Okpebholo’s action was not only in breach of the constitution but a threat to security. He urged the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) to call the governor to order.

    Fagbemi’s quick intervention must have taken the Edo governor and his loyalists by surprise. The AGF in a swift reaction described the suspension as illegal and against the July 2024 judgment of the Supreme Court.

    Two separate courts have ordered Governor Okpebholo and the Edo State House of Assembly to maintain the status quo; a Benin High and an Abuja High Court. The Benin High Court presided over by Justice Efe Ikponmwonba, on December 20 also ordered all parties to maintain status quo ante bellum, as of December 12, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive matter. The suit is between the 18 “suspended” local government chairmen and the Edo State government.

    The presiding judge also gave an order restraining the defendants, by themselves, their privies, servants, and agents, howsoever named or described, from in any way giving effect to or acting on the resolution suspending the claimants (18 elected chairmen and vice chairmen in Edo), purportedly made by the state’s lawmakers, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice in the suit.

    A Federal High Court in Abuja also ordered parties to the dispute leading to the suspension of the 18 local government chairmen in Edo state to maintain the status quo. Justice Emeka Nwite issued the order while ruling on an ex-parte motion filed by the council chairmen.

    After listening to lawyers to the local government chairmen, Anderson Asemota, who moved the motion, Justice Nwite noted that there was a need for the court to be careful in granting the reliefs sought. The judge said: “I will only make an order for parties to maintain status quo, pending the hearing and the determination of the substantive suit.”

    The Okpebholo camp reacted through the governor’s ally, Prince Kassim Afegbua. He condemned the hasty manner that the AGF issued a fiat on the sensitive matter, without considering the implications of the law.

    Afegbua, a member of the Edo Local Government Administrative Panel of Inquiry, insisted that the recent judgment of the Supreme Court on Local government autonomy, particularly financial autonomy, did not expressly cede the powers of the Houses of Assembly to the local government and that of the legislative house.

    He said: “There are existing laws for local government administration across the country, enacted by the state Houses of Assembly, whose powers to make such laws derive from the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Edo State Local Government Law was enacted in the year 2000, in exercise of the powers vested in the House of Assembly, as expressly stated in the 1999 Constitution.

    “Therefore, in the discharge of their responsibilities, local governments are guided by the relevant provisions of such law. In line with the provisions of Section 20 of the Edo State Local Government Act and other provisions, Governor Okpebholo, in consultation with the House of Assembly, expressed concerns over the untoward activities of the chairmen, and reported the same to the House.

    “In exercise of the powers vested in the House of Assembly, as contained in the Local Government Act 2000, (as amended), the Assembly subjected the issue to debate at its plenary, and a majority vote supported the suspension of the local government chairmen and the vice chairmen for two months, in line with the provisions of the law, while allowing the leaders of the Legislative Houses to take over in acting capacity.

    “The use of the word remove by the AGF is most ambiguous and unfortunate. What the Edo Assembly did was to suspend the chairmen and vice chairmen, to allow for investigation of their finances, while allowing their leaders to act in the various LGAs. Suspension is different from removal, and the imputation of the AGF that the chairmen cannot be removed contradicted what the Edo Assembly has done. Mr. AGF sir, the chairmen and vice chairmen were not removed, but suspended.”

    Afegbua, who is also a former Edo Commissioner for Information, equally noted that investigation into the financial activities of the local government chiefs by the administrative panel of inquiry would subsist. He declared that it was misleading for Fagbemi to rush to town, without taking a judicial notice of the rationale for the suspension, which he maintained did not offend the verdict of the Supreme Court, concerning financial autonomy, while stressing that the law remained factual, evidential and instructive.

    Similarly, the Edo APC chairman, Jarrett Tenebe, insisted that the suspension of the chairmen and the vice chairmen was done to maintain order and stability in Edo. He said: “With the suspension of corrupt chairmen of the 18 local government councils in Edo, the ongoing governorship election petitions’ tribunal case in Benin is wobbling, because PDP’s source of funding, which was hitherto from the local government councils, has been stopped. 

    “We are fully in support of the actions taken by the Edo House of Assembly. We urge the various anti-graft agencies to recover our stolen commonwealth in Edo, perpetuated by the PDP’s suspended local government council chairmen and vice chairmen.

    “We also support steps being taken by councillors across the various local government councils in Eso State, who have decided to save their people by impeaching the corrupt and inept suspended chairmen. The Edo PDP chairman’s approach is a desperate attempt to discredit Governor Okpebholo and the state government, rather than a genuine concern for the welfare of the people.”

    Tenebe said Okpebholo had a clear mandate, and that no distraction or blackmail could stop him.

    The Edo governor, on January 7, alleged that the suspended council chairmen remitted about N12 billion to leaders of the PDP in 15 months. He made the allegation while playing host to the acting chairmen and councillors of the 18 local governments, who were in Government House, Benin on a courtesy visit.

    He said: “When I came into office, I had a meeting with Edo State’s Accountant-General, and he showed me some books. Some of the spending had no explanation. I picked interest in some of the spending because I saw an item which was tagged: ‘Environmental Security Funding. I had never heard of that before, and the amount involved was huge, N800 million every month. The chairmen were contributing the money and were giving it to leaders of PDP.”

    Okpebholo also said the revelation led to a meeting with the local government council chairmen. At the meeting, he asked them to explain what they meant by environmental security funding, which had a humongous amount of money allocated to it. But they could not do so.

    He said: “I invited the chairmen, but I could not meet with them. My deputy met with them. He asked them to explain certain spending, but none of them could explain. He asked them to provide their books, and they agreed and said they would do so in 24 hours, but the Edo deputy governor said no, and that it should be in 48 hours.

    “Sadly, the chairmen did not obey the instructions in two weeks, as none of them submitted the requested books. Following the development, I sent a letter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to look into their records.

    “As a former parliamentarian, I know there is a body that has a function over them. So, I sent a letter to the Edo State House of Assembly (EDHA) and they were invited, but they refused to come, and they were suspended for two months.”

    The Edo governor also alleged that the suspended chairmen were engaging in wasteful spending, even when most Edo schools did not have teachers. He said: “I want to thank you because the narrative has been changed by you. What you have done is not out of the law. Impeaching somebody who is corrupt, and who has used the local government’s funds for his personal gain is not wrong. I recognise you as the chairmen.

    “The only way to drive development in the grassroots is through you. President Bola Tinubu also recognizes the local governments, and he is always advising the governors. I am ready to work with the chairmen of the various local government councils in Edo State. I am ready to work with you to see that various council areas progress. You have the full power as local government chairmen. The Edo Local Government Service Commission will cooperate with you to ensure you succeed in your duties to serve the grassroots people.

    “The funds of the local government do not belong to you, but the grassroots. So, go and work with the resources.”

  • Row over suspension of Attorney-General by Okpebholo

    Row over suspension of Attorney-General by Okpebholo

    The suspension of Edo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Samson Osagie and the Chairman of Edo Local Government Service Commission, Damian Lawani, by Governor Monday Okpebholo, has been hailed by the state’s Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Tony Aziegbemi.

    Aziegbemi, yesterday in Benin, said the suspension of the duo over allegations of grave official and financial infractions highlighted the deeper issues of corruption and maladministration, as well as validating PDP’s concerns about reckless financial mismanagement and illegality under the leadership of Okpebholo.

    He said the findings merely scratched the surface of systemic corruption, misappropriation of public funds and blatant legal violations occurring right under the governor’s watch.

    Edo chairman of PDP said: “Despite these suspensions, only a thorough investigation can reveal the full extent of the corruption and organised theft committed by these disempowered politicians, who have regained control of public finances in just 85 days of Okpebholo’s administration.

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    “From illegally ousting duly elected council chairpersons, using thugs, to misappropriating funds intended for local government workers, and mishandling revenue generation, resulting in a drop of the state’s Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR) from about N8 billion to N2 billion monthly, the situation reflects widespread misadministration and entrenched corruption.

    “We call on the Federal Government to address this executive misconduct in Edo State, restore local governments to their duly-elected officials and uphold their autonomy to foster inclusive grassroots development.”

    Aziegbemi also urged relevant security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS), the military, the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the fraudulent activities and financial recklessness characterising Edo government’s operations over the past two months.

  • Obaseki kicks against assets’ verification report submitted to Okpebholo

    Obaseki kicks against assets’ verification report submitted to Okpebholo

    Edo State former Governor Godwin Obaseki has kicked against the assets’ verification report submitted yesterday to Governor Monday Okpebholo.

    Obaseki said: ‘’It is filled with deliberate falsehood and malicious data to malign the image of my administration.’’

    He spoke through his media aide, Crusoe Osagie.

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    The media aide said: “It has come to our notice that the Assets’ Verification Committee set up by the Senator Monday Okpebholo-led government has completed its report and handed same to the state government. We have been able to decipher some of the points raised in the report, all of which have revealed that the committee was only a witch-hunt set up with an agenda to deliberately falsify facts and malign the good image of the former government of Mr. Godwin Obaseki.

    “Every asset and transaction carried out during the tenure of Obaseki administration is contained, with detailed explanations and data, in the transition committee’s report, which was put together by the Obaseki government and handed over to the Okpebholo-led administration, just before they took over office.

    “It is therefore disturbing to find that despite having the facts and data concerning everything the committee set out to verify in the transition document, they have still gone ahead to falsify the facts to malign the image of Obaseki and misinform the public. We calling on the public to disregard the lies and kindly refer to the transition report, which is now a public document.”

  • Okpebholo declares war on criminals

    Okpebholo declares war on criminals

    • Police begin search for kidnapped Edo monarch, four others remain unknown

    Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has declared war on criminals.

    He made this known yesterday at the Government House, Benin, when he received the new Commissioner of Police in Edo, Betty Otimenyin.

    Okpebholo assured Edo residents that his focused administration would make the state peaceful.

    He said: “We thank the Edo Commissioner of Police for agreeing to work with us. She is a woman with the heart of a man. I knew her in Jos as far back as 1994. That was the day I promised her that when I became governor, she would be my Commissioner of Police. I trust her, and know she can perform.

    “I have been following her postings, and today we are here together. We will fight crimes in our state. Our business is to fight crimes and no better person to fight crimes than the new commissioner of police.”

    Otimenyin had earlier hailed Edo governor for the vehicles recently given to security agencies, assuring that the police would fight crimes.

    Meanwhile, the police have begun the manhunt for the kidnapped traditional ruler of Udo-Eguare Kingdom in Igueben Local Government of Edo State, Friday Ehizojie, the Onojie Of Udo Kingdom, and four other victims, who remained unknown yesterday.

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    The monarch was seized on Sunday evening, after being ambushed by gunmen, while riding as a passenger on a motorcycle on a lonely path leading to the community, while the kidnappers shot dead the rider.

    Edo Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Moses Yamu, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), stated that Otimenyin ordered the deployment of the command’s tactical teams, including the Police Mobile Force (PMF) in the area, to rescue the victims and arrest the culprits, adding that the area commander would coordinate the operation.

    Yamu said yesterday: “Demonstrating its resolve to tackle crime and bring perpetrators to book, under the watch of CP Betty Enekpen Isokpan Otimenyin, the  Edo State Police Command recovered one AK-47 rifle, with breach number 1972P09108, loaded with 22 rounds of live ammunition.

    “On 03/02/2025 at about 1730hrs, after the rescue of three kidnapped victims, operatives of the Edo Police Command continued with manhunt for the kidnap suspects, which led to the recovery of the AK-47 rifle in the Okhuesan forest, along Okhuesan-Ewohimi road.”

  • Okpebholo inaugurates AAU’s governing council

    Okpebholo inaugurates AAU’s governing council

    Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo has inaugurated the Governing Council of Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, with a charge to restore the lost glory of the institution.

    Okpebholo, who inaugurated the council at the New Festival Hall of Government House, Benin, said yesterday that education was the bedrock of development, with AAU having greater role to play in achieving this.

    The governor, accompanied by his deputy, Dennis Idahosa, top government officials and eminent politicians, urged the council members to work with dedication, vision and deep sense of responsibility.

    Read Also: No rift between Okpebholo and I, says Deputy Gov

    He advised them to work together and restore the reputation of the school as a centre of academic excellence.

    AAU’s Chairman of Governing Council, Chief Dan Orbih, who is also the national vice chairman, Southsouth, of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),

    expressed gratitude to the governor for giving members the opportunity to serve.

  • ‘Why tribunal dismissed SDP’s petition against Okpebholo’

    ‘Why tribunal dismissed SDP’s petition against Okpebholo’

    Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja dismissed the petition by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) seeking to void Governor Monday Okpebholo’s election, following the party’s decision to abandon its case.

    At yesterday’s proceedings, SDP lawyer, Jackson Ehiavhie, informed the tribunal that his client was no longer interested in pursuing the case.

    He said he was instructed by the national secretariat of the SDP to withdraw the case.

    Read Also: No rift between Okpebholo and I, says Deputy Gov

    Lawyers to the respondents – Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Okpebholo and All Progressives Congress, (APC) – did not object to the position taken by the petitioner.

    In a subsequent ruling, Justice Wilfred Kpochi, the chairman of the three-member tribunal, pronounced the dismissal of the petition in view of the petitioner’s decision to discontinue further prosecution of its case.