Gov Okpebholo's One Year in Office: Wasted Year- Tony Aziegbemi
From Chris Akhabue
The Edo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
has said that Edo State marked a year of wasted opportunities, policy paralysis, and institutional regression under the leadership of Senator Monday Okpebholo as it said it was a one year of waste, drift, decline and deceit.
The Chairman of the Party, Dr Tony Aziegbemi made the remarks while briefing journalists in Benin-City the Edo State capital.
According to Dr Tony Aziegbemi, "Yesterday marks one full year since Edo State was handed over to accidental leadership, and the verdict is clear: it has been a year of wasted opportunity, policy paralysis, and institutional regression.
He said Edo has tragically returned to the Pre- Obaseki era an age defined by ignorance
He alleged that there has been an absolute collapse of governance and institutional order in the past year, adding that the state is currently facing economic stagnation and fiscal recklessness.
According to him, “While other states are consolidating reforms, driving innovation, and expanding growth, Edo has tragically returned to the pre-Obaseki era , an age defined by ignorance, propaganda, and prebendal politics.”
Aziegbemi further alleged that Okpebholo’s administration has destroyed EdoGIS, which, according to him, brought order and transparency to land administration.
“For almost a year, no Certificates of Occupancy have been signed, leaving investors stranded and property owners trapped. This failure has crippled private investment and reignited land disputes across the state.
Under the former administration, 1,000 Certificates of Occupancy were signed monthly, while only 25 have been signed in 365 days of Okpebholo’s administration,” he said.
Continuing, he said.
“Yesterday marked one full year since Edo State was handed over to accidental leadership, and the verdict is clear: it has been a year of wasted opportunity, policy paralysis, and institutional regression. For months, the state had no functioning cabinet. When it was finally constituted, it became an over-bloated team of recycled aides without vision or coherence. Due process has completely eroded — contracts are awarded in secrecy, there is no tenders board, merit has been discarded, and the government now operates like a personal fiefdom driven by emotion, not policy.”
Aziegbemi noted that no single new capital project has been initiated apart from “an ill-thought-out flyover,” adding that local government councils are owing salaries of workers and pensioners.
“Obaseki received a total of ₦154 billion in 10 months of 2024, while Okpebholo has received ₦236 billion in the last 10 months and has done nothing with it,” he claimed.
“No single project has been initiated by the Okpebholo administration apart from ill-thought-out flyover contracts. Local governments owe salaries, pensioners and contractors remain unpaid. Investor confidence has collapsed, and Edo’s economic rating has nosedived.”
On infrastructure, Aziegbemi said:
“Benin City is sinking under filth. Streetlights are dead, roads are collapsing, and the once-structured infrastructure has been abandoned for photo-ops and political ceremonies.”
He also lamented the state of education, saying:
“The celebrated EdoBEST education model has been gutted. Teachers are untrained, schools are deteriorating, and digital learning has vanished. Scholarship programmes have been scrapped, and universities now suffer political interference that undermines autonomy and quality.
For example, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Iguoriakhi, has been abandoned by this clueless government. You are invited to take a tour of this facility.”
On healthcare, he stated:
“Primary health centres are starved of funding; specialist hospitals are struggling. Local governments are administratively comatose — elected chairmen have been sacked and replaced by loyal placeholders, while revenues are cornered at Government House.
The Edo State Health Insurance Scheme has been abandoned; Stella Obasanjo Hospital has been neglected, and the dialysis equipment at the Edo Specialist Hospital is lying unused. Citizens now endure the weight of an absentee government.”
He alleged that the only active department in the current administration is propaganda.
> “Rather than build, they spend taxpayers’ money attacking perceived enemies — Obaseki, the PDP, journalists, and civic voices.
We challenge the Okpebholo media team to name five verifiable achievements in one year. They cannot.”
On the controversy surrounding MOWAA (Museum of West African Art), the PDP said it was “totally uncalled for,” adding that former Governor Obaseki had the interest of Edo people at heart when he conceptualized the project.
“There are 136 museums in Paris, which has a landmass of 105 square kilometres, while Benin, with 1,204 square kilometres, should have at least 500 museums.
New York has a landmass of 1,223 square kilometres with 170 museums, and London, with 1,572 square kilometres, has 250 museums.
Museums are not profit-making ventures; the value comes from tourism, as visitors spend on hotels, transport, and gifts, which increases state revenue.”
Aziegbemi concluded:
“At the heart of MOWAA was the realization by the Obaseki administration that culture is a veritable tool for diversifying the economy, enhancing job creation for our youth, increasing revenues, and improving citizens’ security. It was always about the people of Edo State.”
Reacting to the allegations, Kassim Afegbua, the commissioner for information and strategies said, "They are used to lies, deep in deceit, soaked in liquor, and psychedelic in emanation. They are Chief promoters of the Obubuyaya style of politics, where they claimed to have turned Edo to El Dorado, only to be exposed that they actually plundered the state. Responding to PDP is like watching a bunch of comedians looking for spectators. We are too busy to be distracted by the rantings of such political parties with dithering nomenclature.
Kassim added that, PDP has since become a party in extinction, enabled by some turncoat politicians riddled with over bloated ego and crass ignorance about positive governance. We are not pretenders like them or economic predators who pillaged Edo resources like famished baboons let loose into banana plantations.
We are delivering on our promises and making sure there is value for money. From flyover to roads infrastructure, from Schools repair to primary health care projects, Governor Okpebholo has turned Edo into a construction site, but those PDP and their coupon clippers who are used to Obubuyaya type of projects, driven by propaganda, cannot rationalize good governance when they see one. He stated.
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