Former Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has countered claims by Governor Monday Okpebholo that he cannot enter Benin, the state’s capital.
Obaseki made the disclosure after Okpebholo asserted that the ex-governor would not come into the state because he is not loved by the people of the state.
Over the weekend, Okpebholo said in an interview that the state is currently for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election due to his giant strides in the state, stressing that he would resign if the President does not win his re-election come 2027.
He also maintained that Obaseki was not man enough to enter the state to campaign for anyone other than Tinubu because he would be met with defiance from the people, including children, whom his administration governed unfairly.
“Everybody is for Asiwaju, who is Obaseki? Does he have one anywhere here? Let him come here now. He cannot come. His poor record will prevent him from going to Edo.
“Obaseki dares not come here. If Asiwaju does not win his re-election, I will resign as a governor,” he declared.
Responding in a viral video on Monday, Obaseki called Okpebholo a “villager” from Oredo and insisted he has no authority to stop him from entering the state.
He added that he had deliberately refrained from commenting on Okpebholo’s administration after leaving office to allow it to succeed.
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“When you start with violence, you will reap violence. For one year since I left office, I have not said a word on his government, I have said to myself that I would give them the opportunity to shine.
“Suddenly, he started attacking my personality and threatening me. That was enough; he brought people to Manchester to attack me.
“This week, this governor had a disgraceful press conference, where he was threatening me. Somebody born in Oredo.
“This is a villager threatening me that I cannot come to Benin, and that when I come, he will show me. Me! When I am ready to go, we will all come. This is an insult,” he said.
This is not the first time the two have engaged in war of words; earlier in the year, the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party cautioned Okpebholo against taking credit for the construction of Temboga Road and other projects initiated and completed during Obaseki’s tenure.
In a statement, the state Publicity Secretary of the PDP Caretaker Committee, Chris Nehikhare, said the claims by Okpebholo that his government was flagging off the construction of the 7.5km Temboga Road, among others, were disingenuous and misleading.
In a reply, the state government said the former ruling party had exposed Obaseki’s failures through the statement seeking glory for a failed project.
The PDP statement claimed that the immediate-past government of Obaseki had already constructed the road.
Nehikhare further asked the governor to desist from his mendacious antics of rewriting the story of the performance of the Obaseki-led government by claiming credit for his projects.
He asked the governor to focus on delivering his campaign promises, if any, by initiating projects that reflected his administration’s vision for the state.
