The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised alarm over what it described as a sustained and coordinated campaign of hostility against former Governor Godwin Obaseki by the Senator Monday Okpebholo-led administration in the state.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Dan Osa-Ogbegie, Esq., the party accused the state government and its “All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders” of allegedly engineering a series of provocations aimed at discrediting Obaseki’s record in office.
According to the PDP, the attacks are part of a broader effort to dismantle legacy reforms and projects built during Obaseki’s eight years of what he called “transparent, disciplined and people-centered governance.”
The party alleged that the APC administration in Edo has been preoccupied with undoing policies and programs that positioned the state as a national model in agriculture, education, digital governance and cultural development.
The opposition party cited the reported riots at Saro Farms, the suspension of the Benin Enterprise Park and the controversies surrounding the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) as examples of what it called “political vandalism disguised as governance”.
He further accused the Edo State Government of reversing the EdoGIS digital land system, halting civil service reforms and undermining the EdoBEST educational model that had gained global recognition.
The party insisted that these actions were not mere political disagreements but a deliberate vendetta rooted in former Governor Obaseki’s resistance to the political godfather.
According to the statement, the former governor’s refusal to allow private interests to seize state resources remains the main grievance of those who supposedly run the affairs of the state behind the scenes.
Despite the growing attacks, the PDP said Obaseki has opted for moderation and has instead focused on engaging Edo communities at home and abroad with what he described as “honest accounts of administration.”
The party claimed that Obaseki’s continued domestic and international acceptance has destabilized the ruling APC, provoking what it called “desperate attempts to tarnish its image.”
The statement further cataloged Obaseki’s achievements in infrastructure, education, civil service reform, health, agriculture, energy, culture and economic management, describing him as one of the most transformative leaders in the history of the state.
He said these achievements are the reason why APC is “bent on rewriting the narrative of progress.”
The PDP called for the intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and warned that the pattern of provocations by the Okpebholo administration is increasing political tension in the state.
The PDP urged the president to rein in party members whose actions it said could trigger avoidable instability.
Reaffirming its position, the PDP declared its full support for the immediate past governor of Edo State and vowed to resist any attempt to erode his legacy.
“History will vindicate him; the people of Edo have already done so,” the statement concludes.
It would be recalled that the Edo State House of Assembly Ad Hoc Committee set up to investigate the financing and ownership of the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) and Radisson Blu Hotel recently invited Godwin Obaseki and others to appear before it.
The two entities have become subjects of intense public debate across the state as the APC-led administration maintained that there were shady deals involved in their creation, a claim the former governor has denied.
The State Assembly set up the panel following a request by Governor Monday Okpebholo that it should investigate the financing and ownership of the two projects, including the extent of the state government’s investment of N3.8 billion in MOWAA and N28 billion in the Radisson Hotel.
Former Governor Obaseki, according to the Committee’s schedule, is expected to appear before the panel on Thursday, December 4, 2025.