People’s Democratic Party(PDP) in Edo State has described the one year of the assumption of office of the state Governor, Monday Okpebholo on the banner of the All Progressives Congress(APC) has been a period of drift, decline and deceit.
Tony Aziegbemi, the Chairman of the Edo State PDP, made the description in his assessment of the achievements of the administration within the period.
He affirmed that “for months, the state had no functioning cabinet. When finally constituted, it became an overbloated team of recycled aides without vision or coherence. Due process has completely eroded — contracts are awarded in secrecy, as there is no tenders board merit has been discarded, and the government now operates like a personal fiefdom, driven by emotion, not policy.”
Going further, he stated: “No single new capital project has been initiated, apart from ill thought-out flyovers, contracts awarded just to siphon money. Existing ones have been abandoned.
“Local governments owe salaries; pensioners and contractors remain unpaid. Investor confidence has collapsed, and Edo’s economic rating has nosedived. While for 10 months in 2024, Gov. Obaseki received ₦154 billion, Governor Okpebholo received ₦236 billion.”
According to the PDP, “the destruction of EdoGIS, a flagship reform that brought order and transparency to land administration, epitomizes this regression. 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. A 1000 C-OF-Os were signed monthly under the former administration while only 25 have been signed in 365 days of Okpebholo’s administration.”
On health, social services, and local governments, PDP stated that “primary health centres are starved of funding; Specialist Hospitals are struggling. Local governments are administratively comatose — elected Chairmen sacked and replaced by loyal placeholders, while revenues are cornered at Government House.
“Edo State Health Insurance scheme has been abandoned by this government, Stella Obasanjo’s Hospital been abandoned, the 3-dialysis equipment in Edo Specialist Hospital has been abandoned.
Citizens now endure the weight of an absentee government.”
The PDP asserted that it “remains Edo’s only organised, policy-driven, and people-centred platform. We are committed to continuity of reforms, digital governance, security coordination, and inclusive development.
“We call on all Edo citizens, civil society, and the media to join hands in restoring direction, dignity, and development to governance.”
On MOWAA, the PDP strongly believes that “this controversy is totally uncalled for. Gov. Obaseki had the good of the greater number of EDOLITES in mind when he conceptualized MOWAA. There are 136 museums in Paris with 105 square kilometers landmass and Benin with 1,204 square kilometers landmass should be having at least 500 museums.
“We should not be struggling over one museum. New York has 1,223 square kilometers landmass with 170 Museums
London has 1,572 square kilometers landmass with 250 museums.
Museums are not profit-making ventures. It is the value added from tourists visiting and spending monies on hotels, transport and gifts that the state benefits from increased revenues.
“At the heart of MOWAA is the realization of the Governor Obaseki administration that culture is a veritable tool of diversifying the economy to enhance job creation for our youth, increased revenues and security of the citizens. It was about the people of Edo State.”
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