By DAN Osa-Ogbegie, Esq.
Publicity Secretary, PDP Edo State
The Peoples Democratic Party, Edo State Chapter, strongly condemns the alarming descent of Governor Monday Okpebholo into threats, intimidation and dangerous political brinkmanship.
His recent public accusation that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is promoting cultism, coupled with his vow to commence demolition of houses belonging to opposition leaders and members, is beneath governance. It is executive recklessness of the highest order, unfortunately.
No governor in a constitutional democracy possesses the power to criminalise political opposition by proclamation. Allegation is not conviction. Political affiliation is not evidence of crime. Property rights are constitutionally guaranteed and cannot be withdrawn on the altar of executive irritation or political paranoia.
What makes this situation even more troubling is that these threats are emanating from a Governor who has, on several occasions, embarrassed Edo people on the national stage through avoidable public blunders and visible lapses in basic statecraft. The most recent instance being his inability to correctly articulate the President’s GCFR appellation during an official engagement.
While such incidents may appear trivial in isolation, they are symptomatic of a deeper concern: governance demands preparation, clarity of thought, discipline and composure.
Leadership requires cognition, restraint and depth. What Edo is witnessing instead is impulsiveness, insecurity and an escalating hostility toward dissent.
More disturbing are credible reports emerging from Benin City that, during the formal declaration of Mr. Olumide Akpata into the ADC, armed individuals allegedly trailed opposition leaders from the ADC Secretariat to the residence of Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, fired gunshots at the gate and destroyed vehicles in what appears to have been an attempted assassination.
If these reports are accurate, Edo State is standing dangerously close to political anarchy.
The sequence is deeply concerning. First, inflammatory accusations. Then threats of demolition. Now reported armed intimidation. This trajectory must be halted immediately.
The fight against cultism is a serious security challenge requiring intelligence-led operations, lawful arrests, diligent prosecution and judicial determination. It cannot be reduced to political theatre designed to demonise opponents. To weaponise security concerns for partisan suppression is to weaken both democracy and genuine crime-fighting efforts. It also reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the limits of executive authority in a constitutional order.
Governor Okpebholo must immediately retract his threats against opposition members and publicly reaffirm his commitment to constitutional governance. He must direct security agencies to conduct a transparent investigation into the reported armed attack and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice, irrespective of political affiliation.
We call on the Nigeria Police and all security agencies operating in Edo State to remain professional and impartial. Their loyalty is to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, not to transient political office holders.
Edo people deserve leadership that inspires confidence, not anxiety. A government secure in its mandate does not fear opposition. A Governor confident in his performance does not resort to demolition threats.
Democracy thrives on debate, contestation and lawful engagement. It deteriorates when intimidation replaces persuasion and force substitutes ideas.
The PDP will continue to defend constitutional order and the political rights of all Edo citizens. We will resist any attempt to drag our state into executive lawlessness or politically induced violence.
Edo belongs to its people, not to one administration.
Governor Okpebholo must step back from this dangerous path before irreversible damage is done to our democratic fabric.
History is watching.