Concerned by what he described as the lackadaisical attitude of the Edo State governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo to the untold hardship the people of the state are presently passing through, the chairman of the Coalition of Registered Political Parties (CRPP) has urged the governor to immediately change the narrative or resign from his position.
In a statement by the national chairman of the CRPP, Dr. Samson Isibor, said instead of working for the people of the state, the governor is more concerned with how to win the 2027 presidential election for President Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the local government election.
According to him, “CRPP calls on Governor Okpebholo to either wake up to his responsibilities or honourably resign, because it is obvious that he is bereft of ideas on how to solve the alarming poverty confronting Edo people.
“He is only concerned with how to win the 2027 presidential for his Master and the so-called local government election in which we already know the outcome.”
Dr. Isibor lamented that Nigerians have never had it so bad as they battle to wade through the present harsh economic realities of the Nigerian situation.
He expressed CRPP’s support for last week’s peaceful protest by the citizens in Benin to call the attention of the state and federal governments to the hardship in the state in particular and the country in general.
His words: “We have noted with grave concern that wherever you turn in Edo State, it is lamentation. The heat of poverty is staring us in the face; we’ve never had it this bad in Edo. That was what led to the massive protest by youths and other citizens in Benin on Wednesday.”
He condemned the lackadaisical and nonchalant attitude of Governor Monday Okpebholo, saying that it is cause for serious concern as there is no visible effort from the state government to ameliorate the suffering of Edo people.
Dr. Isibor also deplored the state of insecurity which he said is at its worst state ever; rising cases of kidnapping; high unemployment; prohibitive house rent, which he noted is beyond the reach of the citizens, no visible infrastructural development; ubiquitous bad and unmotorable roads; and non-functional health centres.
He claimed that Edo state is at a standstill as if there is no government in the state, alleging that entrepreneurs are fast moving out of Edo State because of the high cost of running their businesses.
He added that CRPP being a political organisation that vigorously supported and campaigned for the APC and Senator Okpebholo during the 2024 governorship election in the state, it was fit and proper to engage and confront the governor with the true position of things in the state.
But in a swift response, the state commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua, berated Dr. Samson Isibor, even as he described the CRPP as a “jeun-jeun” or “chop-chop” organisation for the past eighteen (18) years.
Afegbua insisted that “instead of getting serious with political participation in a manner that would define inclusion, he has personalized this organisation for selfish reasons to perpetuate himself till eternity. He’s one of the problems of sit-tight democracy, defined within the labyrinth of parochialism.
“In Edo, the Governor, Senator Okpebholo has been upbeat with development and interventionist initiatives that have placed Edo amongst the best developing states in Nigeria. Governor Okpebholo has turned Edo state to a construction site with critical infrastructure taking the centre stage of our developmental effort. We are building roads, hospitals, schools, human capital development, and recruiting new civil servants, teachers and helping market women with interest free loans.
“We have introduced bursary awards, after such a long interregnum. We have revived Ambrose Alli University, injected funds into Edo University, Iyamho, built road networks around Usen Polytechnic, paid outstanding salaries and arrears of Lecturers of Ekiadolor College of Education, and several other solutions we have provided to the inherited challenges facing the state.
“We have invested hugely in security and supplied over one hundred Hilux vehicles to the Police and security agencies. We are investing in the economy of Edo state and the Isibor’s decision of trying to generate attention is self serving. He wants the government to reach out to him, but Governor Okpebholo is not used to “chop-chop” politics.”