Okpebholo’s one year in office marked by decline, policy paralysis – Edo PDP

By Jethro Ibileke

The Edo chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has described the first year of Senator Monday Okpebholo as Governor of the State as a lost year that was marked by drift, decline, policy paralysis and collapse of governance structures.
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The party ‎further accused the Okpebholo’s administration of mismanaging the State resources, adding that contracts are awarded with complimentary cards, in the absence of a tenders’ board in the last one year.
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The State chairman of the party, Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi, made the claim while addressing journalists on Thursday in Benin.

He claimed that the Okpebholo administration was yet to initiate any capital project, “apart from ill-conceived flyover contracts designed to siphon public funds.”
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The Edo PDP chairman noted that while ex-Governor Godwin Obaseki received ₦154 billion over 10 months in 2024, his successor had received ₦236 billion within the same period without any tangible development.
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‎”For months, the State had no functioning cabinet. When finally constituted, it became an over-bloated team of recycled aides without vision or coherence,” he alleged.
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‎Aziegbemi condemned the “destruction” of the Edo Geographic Information Service (EdoGIS), which he described as one of Obaseki’s landmark reforms.
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‎According to him, “For almost a year, no Certificates of Occupancy have been signed. This failure has stranded investors and reignited land disputes.
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Responding to the plethora of allegations, the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua, dismissed the opposition party’s claims, alleging that the PDP strives in lies, and deep in deceit.
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‎”Responding to PDP is like watching bunch of comedians looking for spectators. We are too busy to be distracted by the rantings of such political party with dithering nomenclature,” he added.