Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has reaffirmed his position that former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, must notify the state government ahead of any visit to Edo State.

 

Speaking on Tuesday, July 22, during the official commissioning of the New Edo Line, a state-owned transport company in Benin City, Governor Okpebholo declared that his statement was an advice, not a threat, and that he has no regrets whatsoever about making it.

 

“What I said was simply an advice. I said don’t come to Edo State without telling me. If telling him to notify me as the chief security officer of the State is a crime, so be it,” he stated.

 

 

 

The governor explained that his stance stemmed from a personal tragedy. He recalled how during the administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki, he was advised by the Commissioner of Police to stay put at the airport for security reasons—a warning he ignored, which tragically led to the death of his police orderly, Inspector Akor Onu, right before his eyes at the Benin Airport.

 

“I went through this same process before in 2024… I ignored that advice, and at the gate of the airport, my policeman was shot dead,” he recounted.

 

 

 

Okpebholo said his call for Obi to notify him of visits was based on security intelligence and experience, and dismissed the backlash as politically charged and unnecessary.

 

“I don’t know which one is paining them. Is it because I said they don’t have ‘shishi’? Did they not say it themselves?”

 

“If [Peter Obi] likes, let him take my advice. If he likes, let him dwell on social media—it doesn’t concern me,” he added firmly.

 

 

 

The governor further shifted focus to the commissioning of New Edo Line, celebrating it as a milestone in public transportation and evidence of Edo State’s progress under his leadership. He attributed the success to increased federal allocation and support from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

 

“The dream of Edo Line would not have been possible without President Tinubu… The man that brought reality to Edo State,” he said, praising the President’s “Renewed Hope” agenda for transforming the country.

 

 

 

He expressed deep gratitude to Edo people for their support at the polls, describing the launch of the New Edo Line as a “dream come true” for a state that had “been in the wilderness for a very long time.”

 

It would be recalled that on July 18, 2025, during the defection ceremony of Hon. Marcus Onobun to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Governor Okpebholo publicly directed Peter Obi to always notify the state government before visiting, a remark that sparked widespread debate and criticism on social media.