PDP to Tinubu: ‘Godfathers Are Now Controlling Edo Government; Okpebholo’s Actions May Spark Crisis

On Tuesday, December 2, 2025, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State expressed concern over what it called an ongoing, coordinated, and increasingly careless campaign of defamation, provocation, distortion, and animosity being carried out by the Edo State Government under Governor Monday Okpebholo and his group of oppressive All Progressives Congress (APC) godfathers.

The PDP said in a statement signed by Dan Osa-Ogbegie, the party’s publicity secretary, that the campaign has been purposefully trying for months to bait, divert, and discredit former governor Godwin Obaseki, a leader the party commended for openness, caution, institutional reform, and clarity of purpose.

“This lingering resentment stems from Obaseki’s principled refusal to surrender Edo’s resources to private pockets, a tradition entrenched under their former leader, Adams Oshiomhole, but courageously halted by Obaseki,” the party claimed.

The Obaseki administration’s legacy projects and institutional advancements were allegedly dismantled, undermined, or frustrated during the early months of the Okpebholo administration, according to the PDP.

A number of purported acts of sabotage and reversals that the opposition said amounted to “a political vendetta disguised as governance” were highlighted.

Below are the issues the PDP singled out and the party’s claims in full detail.

1. Attacks on Saro Farms in Ovia and Orhionmwon

“Hostility, disruptions, and reported destruction of Saro Farms, one of the largest agricultural investments attracted under Obaseki, constitute a devastating blow to investor confidence,” according to the PDP.

The intimidation pattern, according to the PDP, points to coordinated effort “believed to be sponsored by elements in the Edo State Government and their APC backers.” These actions were referred to by the PDP as “a direct assault on the agricultural revolution Obaseki championed.”

2. Benin Enterprise Park’s suspension and discrediting

The letter denounced the Benin Enterprise Park, a historic industrialization project “conceptualized and advanced under Obaseki,” for what it called “mindless suspension and public disparagement.”

The PDP linked the suspension to the APC’s refusal to tolerate any developmental legacy tied to him.

3. Anger directed towards the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA)

Rather of sustaining Edo’s burgeoning cultural reputation, the PDP said the administration “encouraged toxic narratives and reckless actions culminating in the disgraceful security collapse that allowed hoodlums to invade a facility hosting foreign diplomats.”

This incident was described by the party as “a calculated attempt to stain Obaseki’s globally celebrated cultural reforms.”

4. Reversal of EdoGIS and Digital Land Reforms

The PDP accused the Okpebholo administration of taking back EdoGIS and digital land reforms that had “sanitised Edo’s opaque land administration.”

The party claims that the reversal is bringing land administration back to “an era of political land seizures, racketeering, and institutional opacity.”

5. Reversal of Civil Service Reforms

The opposition said the “vibrant, merit-driven and digitalised civil service Obaseki built is being dragged back to the days of drudgery, corruption, bottlenecks and lethargy.”

The PDP stated promotions, assessments and workflows have reverted to favoritism and paper-based inefficiencies.

6. Attempted Destruction of Educational Gains Under EdoBEST

PDP stated that EdoBEST, the fundamental education reform model that the statement said moved Edo kids from learning poverty to national and worldwide acclaim, is being destroyed by political intervention, anti-merit appointments, and a return to obsolete teaching practices.

7. Attacks on the Pipeline for Agricultural Investment

The PDP said that the APC-led government is “systematically attacking the progress that made Edo Nigeria’s most promising agro-industrial hub,” citing everything from the Presco land controversy to the intimidation of investors throughout Edo State.

“These are not governmental actions. They are acts of vendetta, animosity and political vandalism,” the opposition party stressed.

The PDP claims that Obaseki won’t be drawn into “petty politics.”
Despite the growing provocations, the party stated former Governor Obaseki “has maintained dignity and restraint. He has declined to resort to the insults and mudslinging that Okpebholo and his handlers have perfected.

Instead, Obaseki has opted to interact with Edo natives living abroad, “giving honest accounts of stewardship, without once referencing the Okpebholo administration, whose operations are remote-controlled by bitter godfathers outside Osadebe Avenue,” according to the PDP.

“The APC is angry because Obaseki still commands global respect. They are outraged because he speaks to Edo people across Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa about successes they cannot contest. The statement went on, “Their attacks only highlight their insecurity.”

“A Godfather-Run Government”
The PDP accused the Okpebholo administration of being controlled by the same persons who, in prior APC regimes, “demanded unfettered access to Edo’s treasury.”

The party claimed that the fundamental complaint remains the same and that the same individuals oversee all significant decisions: “Obaseki refused to share Edo’s revenues and insisted that public funds serve the people, not predatory political interests.”

The statement went on to enumerate, in detail, what the PDP claimed as Obaseki’s achievements across several sectors, portraying them as the record the party alleges the APC is trying to erase.

Infrastructure:

Over 500 roads completed or renovated.
New pathways are being opened in rural areas, Esan, Owan, and Benin City.
Comprehensive renewal of public buildings and government facilities.
Completion and modernization of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium and associated sports infrastructure.
Learning

Pioneering EdoBEST revolution, now studied globally.
extensive digitalization and retraining of teachers.
Rehabilitation of hundreds of schools throughout all LGAs.
Civil Service and Governance

Nigeria’s state civil service is the most advanced.
Merit-based promotions, e-governance, and digital workflow.
stronger justice system, modern court buildings, and judicial autonomy.
Agriculture and Industry

large investors, such as Elephant Group, Dufil, Saro Farms, and many agro-industrial investors.
Development of the Benin Enterprise Park.
Internationally acclaimed Edo Oil Palm Programme (EPP).
Health and Social Welfare

Stella Obasanjo Hospital expansion and renovation.
enhanced primary healthcare facilities around the state.
Edo Health Insurance Scheme expansion.
Social welfare assistance for homes at risk.
Energy and Digital Economy

collaboration with Ossiomo Power, providing reliable power to courts, hospitals, government buildings, and street illumination.
initiatives in the digital economy have established Edo as a growing center for technology.
creation of youth technology training programs.
Culture and Tourism

The innovative MOWAA development.
Encourage the arts, movies, and the creative economy.
international cultural alliances that made Edo famous.
Finance and Economy

anti-corruption measures and transparent budgets.
Zero tolerance for imprudent borrowing.
Digitalisation of IGR collection, reducing loopholes and bringing Edo’s revenues to historic highs.
The PDP warned: “These are the legacies the APC is desperately trying to destroy.”

PDP Calls on President Tinubu To Intervene
As the PDP termed the provocation as increasing, the party called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to control members of his party in Edo.

“The conduct of Monday Okpebholo and his handlers is overheating the polity and may precipitate a seismic conflagration if not immediately curtailed,” the PDP warned.

The party charged that the Okpebholo administration’s politics were motivated by resentment rather than service, a grudge rather than a goal.

Maintaining its stand, the party declared: “The PDP stands solidly, unequivocally and unapologetically with Mr Godwin Obaseki. We won’t let people who didn’t do anything to advance Edo ruin his legacy. We stand with him because he governed with courage, preserved Edo’s finances, uplifted Edo’s people and refused the predatory demands of political godfathers. He will be justified by history. Edo folks already have.”