A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, Mr. John Mayaki, has cautioned a faction of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) against what he described as deliberate blackmail of the Senator Monday Okpebholo’s administration and the Oba of Benin, following the recent mob harassment of Dr. Pedro Obaseki.
Mayaki said neither Governor Monday Okpebholo nor the Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, should be dragged into acts of lawlessness, stressing that arrest, investigation, and prosecution of offenders remain the exclusive responsibility of the Nigeria Police Force.
According to him, attempts by the PDP faction to politicise the incident amount to a dangerous diversion from the real issue of law enforcement and public order. His words, “Governor Okpebholo is not the police, and the Oba of Benin is not a law enforcement agency. Where a crime has been committed, the proper authority to act is the police, not political blackmail,” Mayaki said.
Mayaki argued that what transpired was not an isolated incident but part of a long history of political violence nurtured during the administration of former Governor Godwin Obaseki.
According to him, “what we are witnessing today is an evil rain whose clouds were gathered years ago and applauded by many. Unfortunately, that rain is now falling on everyone, including Obaseki’s cousin. It is a case of a man who fetched ant-invested woods to his house.”
He recalled that during Obaseki’s tenure, similar attacks against citizens, political opponents, and institutions were consistently condemned, adding that such condemnation remains unchanged regardless of who the victim is.
“Whether it is a senator, a party loyalist, or an ordinary citizen, mob action, harassment or assault is unacceptable. Ironically, those who once justified these excesses during Obaseki’s administration are now crying wolf,” he noted.
The APC chieftain listed several incidents he said illustrated a pattern of abuse of power and tolerance for violence under Obaseki’s watch. These include the killing of Inspector Onu Akor, a security aide attached to Senator Monday Okpebholo; the attack on Senator Matthew Urhoghide at the Benin Airport; and Obaseki’s failure to condemn these assaults on political opponents.
He also recalled how Obaseki publicly warned his predecessor, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, to stay out of Edo State without “permission,” boasting about “dealing” with him. Mayaki further referenced the controversial night-time inauguration of only a fraction of the Edo State House of Assembly, leaving 14 duly elected lawmakers excluded, and the subsequent suspension of elected local government chairmen in defiance of court judgments.
According to Mayaki, Obaseki’s tenure was marked by repeated attacks on democratic institutions and prominent Edo citizens, including the violent disruption of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu’s gubernatorial declaration in 2020, assaults linked to the Benin Royal Palace during the same period, attacks on legislators at a hotel on Etete Road, assaults on residences and properties of political opponents, including Tony Adun (Kabaka), Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, Dr. Pius Odubu and others.
Continuing, he said there were other attacks on Olumide Akpata at the University of Benin, the shooting of Hon. Barrister Henry Idahagbon’s office on Siluko Road, attacks on the residence of the APC State Secretary, Hon. Engr. Lawrence Okah on Ogba Road.
“These are not isolated incidents,” Mayaki said. “They form a consistent and troubling pattern.”
Mayaki warned that attempts to weaponise mob action and ethnic sentiment pose a serious threat to national stability, urging security agencies to remain vigilant.
“A man who ruled with intimidation, impunity, and disregard for democratic norms must not be allowed to export instability beyond Edo State,” he said.
He called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and security agencies to closely monitor the activities of Godwin Obaseki and his political associates, both within and outside Nigeria. Adding that “a stitch in time saves nine.”
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