The Edo State Government has condemned in strong terms the outburst of a political aide to Governor Monday Okpebholo, Emmanuel Egogo, who, in a recent viral video was captured warning the opposition African Democratic Congress, (ADC) especially the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, against coming to campaign in Edo State.
Egogo, a senior special assistant to Governor Okpebholo, was seen railing against the major opposition party and Obi, former Anambra state governor, whom he contemptuously referred to as “Obi idiot” right in the presence of the state commissioner of police, Monday Agbonika.
Directly addressing the police commissioner, the self-styled hype man to Governor Okpebholo brazenly threatened that members of the ADC, especially Obi, would be arrested and handed over to him for onward transfer to Abuja.
Agbonika, who simply watched Egogo’s display of lawlessness, was shown in the video smiling.
Speaking at a press conference in Benin City where he gave an update on Governor Okpebholo’s stewardship, the state commissioner for Information and Strategy Prince Kassim Afegbua described the trending video as “incendiary”, stating that the administration was focused on promoting peace, unity and democratic engagement in the state.
The government also reacted to the resolve by 14 opposition political parties to rally round one candidate for the 2027 presidential election, a decision that emerged from a high-stakes political summit in Ibadan last Saturday, which was hosted by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, describing it as “politics of desperation”.
Disowning Egogo, Afegbua said the government would not tolerate political intimidation, thuggery or any form of suppression of opposition voices.
According to him, “We want to disown that statement as not the position of government, but as the voice of an individual that is answerable to existing laws of the land.
“The governor does not tolerate thuggery, political hegemony or any attempt to subdue or cow the opposition using subtle threats or otherwise.
“We welcome opposition, robust engagement, constructive engagement and collective bargaining. Opposition helps ruling parties to think better”.
He asserted that “It is not our article of trade. It is not our thematic focus as a government. We try as much as possible to promote unity of purpose and a spirit of camaraderie among all Edo citizens and residents”.
Denouncing the opposition’s resolve to field one presidential candidate, Afegbua said whereas the opposition parties claim that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is reducing Nigeria to a one-party State, the 14 political parties led by the African Democratic Congress, ADC and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were shrinking the political space by their decision.
The Commissioner berated the opposition for criticising every policy of the Tinubu government but failed to provide any alternative.
“We are very much in support of President Tinubu’s policies, initiatives and programmes”, Afegbua said.
Speaking on Governor Okpebholo’s developmental strides, he said the administration had moved beyond rhetoric, with projects visible across Edo South, Central and North senatorial districts, stressing that “It’s almost certain that Edo people, the larger majority of them, have scored this government high. It is no longer rhetoric because we can point at what we are doing. They can feel it. They can see it”.
He attributed the state’s improved financial standing to increased federal allocations following fuel subsidy removal, and a stronger internally generated revenue system.
The commissioner gleefully announced that “Every month, we hover around N9.5 billion to N10 billion as IGR. That is not magic.
“It is the result of our commitment to ensuring that everything that needs to be done is carried out”.
Afegbua disclosed that the government had recruited over 1,000 civil servants and made more than 3,000 appointments across ministries, departments and agencies, as well as ensured regular promotions in the civil service, while it has also discarded the use of consultants and employed good hands to drive the civil service.
“Before now”, he noted, “promotions were stagnated for up to seven or eight years in the civil service. But this government has ensured adequate promotion to different categories of officers”.
On digital governance, Afegbua said the administration had replaced the previous e-governance system with a new cloud-based platform called “e-Gov,” which would improve transparency and efficiency in public administration.
He said all ministries, departments and agencies were being onboarded onto the platform to reduce paperwork and improve service delivery.
On infrastructure development, Afegbua pointed to ongoing rehabilitation of the Benin-Auchi Road, fixing of about 83 schools and 85 Primary healthcare centres, and the construction of a 150-bed teaching hospital in Edo Central senatorial district.
Citing the near completion of a security camp in Uromi to house soldiers and police personnel as part of efforts to tackle kidnapping and insecurity, the commissioner opined that “When roads are clear and shoulders are well paved, drivers can see far ahead. It has reduced the incidence of kidnappHe further said the government had invested heavily in markets, including the redevelopment of the Oba Market in Benin and other major trading hubs, assuring that traders would not be displaced.
Afegbua further announced that the state government recently signed an agreement with a Chinese firm for N10 million metric tonnes of cement production in Owan East Local Government Area expected to generate jobs and boost economic activities.
He also said the government was supporting agriculture, independent power projects and the deployment of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses to ease transportation costs.
“Maybe by next month, you will see about 100 CNG buses, and 50 of those will be deployed for free transportation across the state to ease the burden of economic hardship,” he said.
The commissioner, who listed several other projects executed by the government, however said it was not yet Uhuru but gave assurances of the government’s commitment to completing projects it has initiated.
Afegbua urged the media to balance criticisms with recognition of visible progress, saying government remained open to feedback and public scrutiny.
“If we are doing good projects, please celebrate us. If you think there are things we should do better, let us know. We are not an all-knowing government,” he pleaded.