BENIN CITY: The Edo State Government on Tuesday dismissed a statement by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, accusing Governor Monday Okpebholo of political vendetta, insisting that the former governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, must account for what it described as glaring shortcomings in security management, land administration and major legacy projects.
The government, in a detailed response signed by Fred Itua, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Okpebholo, said the PDP’s December 2 statement “substitutes assertion for evidence, eulogy for scrutiny, and tribal loyalty for accountability,” arguing that Edo people deserve direct answers on governance, transparency and public safety rather than what it called sentimental defences of Obaseki’s tenure.
Itua noted that the deterioration of security in Edo long predated the current administration, stressing that kidnappings and violent attacks rose sharply under the former government.
He said community vigilante structures collapsed due to poor coordination, while security agencies operated without adequate logistical support. As evidence of how exposed the state had become, he referenced the kidnapping of the then state PDP chairman, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, who was abducted and later released after a high-profile rescue operation in the GRA area of Benin City.
On accusations that the Okpebholo administration was targeting previous projects, the statement said Obaseki’s handling of key initiatives left behind “systemic problems” that could not be ignored.
It faulted the Saro Farms project for unresolved land disputes and inadequate community consultation, noting that protests over alleged forceful acquisition of ancestral land began under the past administration.
The government also dismissed the PDP’s defence of the Benin Enterprise Park, saying independent reports had long shown the project was largely conceptual, hindered by legal disputes, unresolved compensation claims and unclear financing. Itua said the new administration paused the project not out of malice but because “a project cannot be sustained on slogans and announcements when there is contested land, no operational financing and significant community pushback.”
On the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), the government said the PDP’s statement ignored serious concerns surrounding transparency and custodianship of returned Benin artefacts. It noted that protests by supporters of the Benin Palace led to the suspension of key activities and brought to the surface deep disagreements about control over the bronzes and the museum site. The statement referenced reported government actions to review land titles linked to the project, saying the issues of land clearance, accountability and stakeholder engagement “remain unresolved and must be answered.”
Itua also criticised the previous administration’s land digitisation system under EDOGIS, saying the platform suffered from community distrust, overlapping allocations and allegations that digital tools were used to obscure rather than clarify land decisions. He said the government is now conducting audits to restore confidence and ensure transparent title histories.
Responding to claims about civil service and education reforms, the statement acknowledged that programmes such as EdoBEST were launched with good intentions but said teachers, school communities and independent reviewers documented significant implementation gaps, especially in rural areas. Strengthening those systems, it added, was “a legitimate public policy task, not an act of partisan vandalism.”
The Edo State Government insisted that no amount of political rhetoric can erase unresolved land disputes, a weakened security environment inherited from the last administration or the cultural and diplomatic tensions triggered by MOWAA.
“The people of Edo will not accept a narrative that elevates style over substance,” Itua said, adding that if Obaseki and the PDP seek to defend the past administration, they should provide the documentation, consultations and audited records that demonstrate transparency.
He reaffirmed that Governor Okpebholo remains committed to restoring security, conducting transparent audits and engaging constructively with communities and traditional institutions.
“Where errors were made or decisions need correction, Governor Okpebholo will correct them openly. Where criminality or mismanagement is revealed, the administration will hand matters to the appropriate institutions for lawful investigation and remediation,” the statement added.
