The most recent outburst from Godwin Obaseki is not surprising. It is merely the continuation of a pattern that the Edo people saw too late. Intolerance, retaliation, and a violent streak that simmered beneath the surface were hallmarks of his years in power. His temperament has left wounds on those who worked closely with him. The most obvious example is Philip Shaibu, his former deputy.
No logical leader would plot the humiliation and dismissal of a deputy he once referred to as a brother, regardless of the nature of their disagreement. However, Obaseki used every institutional tool at his disposal to settle a personal score, crushing a man whose only transgression was losing the ruler of Osadebe Avenue’s favor by using the House of Assembly as a pawn.
Obaseki’s hostile impulses spread to the people he pledged to help in October 2022. He oversaw the demolition of about 100 houses in the communities of Ogheghe, Irhirhi-Obazagbon, and Oke-Oroma. against the residents’ insistence that they had legitimate paperwork, such as Certificates of Occupancy, he proceeded against a court order that had prohibited any action until their lawsuit was resolved. The outcome was disastrous. Property valued at billions of naira was turned to ruins, and thousands of people were displaced. What a spiteful dude!
When Obaseki went in front of cameras during the 2024 governorship race and threatened to set Edo on fire if his preferred candidate lost, the Edo people witnessed the full scope of this brutality. They weren’t the meaningless tirade of an irate politician. They came from a guy whose administration had a history of using state authority as a weapon, armed loyalists, and established networks of political enforcers who readily mixed in with the criminal elements before turning their weapons on defenseless victims.
The fact that kidnapping and armed robberies skyrocketed in the early days of the current administration is not a coincidence. These weren’t arbitrary crimes. They were the frantic upheavals of an ecology that Obaseki had created, financed, and empowered.
Monday Okpebholo, the governor, had to bring stability to a state that had been purposefully left unstable. He has been able to control the tumult and rebuild public trust by exercising quiet power and calm leadership. However, Obaseki has doubled down rather than withdrawing into introspection.
His most recent film from Birmingham shows a man who finds it difficult to accept that Edo people have moved on. He claimed that he is organizing the international community against Okpebholo and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, called Okpebholo “stupid,” and promised that the governor “will see.”
These are not innocuous remarks made by a disgruntled former official. They are well-thought-out threats from a person who has never concealed his intention to topple Edo State if he loses control.
He asserts that the people of Benin cannot be ruled by a governor from Irrua. Just that statement reveals his politics’ perilous tribal undertone. He divided communities and isolated opponents for eight years by taking advantage of ethnic resentment. He is now trying to fan the same flames of division against a governor who has only concentrated on development, inclusivity, and governance.
In addition to being careless, Obaseki’s language in that video is explosive. It alludes to an effort to incite animosity toward a government that is making a concerted effort to repair the harm he caused.
It is clearly evident that his recent travels under the pretense of “meet and greet” are an attempt to gain international support, money, and legitimacy for a domestic political conflict he has already lost. There are legitimate concerns about motive when a former governor publicly boasts about organizing the diaspora and the international community against his own state’s present leadership.
For what specific reason does he require international pressure? Why is he frantically attempting to fabricate a crisis story when there isn’t one? And who does he intend to hire from overseas? The fact that this same man earlier threatened to burn down Nigeria during an election is still remembered by the Edo people.
They still remember how, under the guise of political allegiance, his secret “security structure” tormented villages. They see the ramifications of a former governor dealing in fear and animosity while looking for international backing.
The unsettling reality is that Obaseki’s remarks imply a readiness to work with outside parties to jeopardize Edo State’s peace. A man who used to arm political enforcers and foot soldiers is now bragging about worldwide mobilization.
The connection is not implausible. His post-tenure travel habits, abrupt desperation, and aggressive rhetoric raise the idea that he is looking for money or covert assistance to resurrect the political apparatus that formerly worked for him—a mechanism that turned criminal after he left office. Edo cannot afford to ignore this. Threats are being used to frighten a current governor by a man who previously used them to manipulate institutions.
However, Monday Okpebholo has not threatened Obaseki in spite of his attempt to distort truth. He hasn’t made ethnicity a weapon. He hasn’t reacted violently. All he has done is remind the public that anyone may review the documents of Obaseki’s misrule.
refusing to swear in parliamentarians who have been properly elected. the Assembly’s exploitation for personal gain. the National Judicial Council’s unusual recommendation to delay the swearing-in of justices. The central hospital was demolished without offering the general public a workable substitute. These acts were the pinnacle of conceit and disregard for the people he purported to represent, not only poor government.
Ironically, Obaseki’s record is replete with actions that jeopardized the welfare of the Edo people, yet he now blames others of threatening him. Governor Okpebholo is not the source of his fear. Accountability is what scares him. He fears that the harm he caused to communities, institutions, and public confidence will no longer be concealed by the mist of propaganda. In the hopes that distance will skew the truth, he flees overseas in search of fresh supporters.
Even more damning are his criticisms of Governor Okpebholo’s allegiance to President Bola Tinubu. Obaseki reveals the resentment that results from losing political significance by arguing that Okpebholo shouldn’t deliver votes to the President. However, ego is not a factor in governance. Support is earned by performance. Additionally, Okpebholo is already well ahead of the eight years of stagnation that Obaseki left behind because to his quiet but steady improvements in the areas of public administration, social welfare, infrastructure, and security. There is no blindness among the Edo people. They are aware of who is employed. They are aware of who pays attention. They are aware of who values them. Foreign posturing won’t make that change.
Obaseki is a man who is fighting to stay relevant in politics, and his most recent outburst is a hazardous escalation. It is a clear threat to peace and an indication that he is prepared to drag Edo into battle in order to satisfy his wounded ego. This needs to be handled seriously by both the federal government and the Edo people. There is a security risk when a former governor publicly supports dissidents overseas while tribalizing domestic politics. It appears from his actions, comments, and record that he is not working alone.
Security agencies need to pay attention to Obaseki’s recent remarks. His divisive speech, worldwide mobilization, and public threats pose serious concerns that cannot be disregarded. To ascertain the motivation behind his remarks and the networks he is trying to activate, a comprehensive investigation is required.
To make sure they don’t jeopardize the current state of peace in Edo State, his well-known fans, online loyalists, and political enforcers need to be appropriately profiled and well watched. Every organization in charge of ensuring public safety must take swift action before remarks turn into something more harmful because Edo cannot afford to return to instability.
