Monday Okpebholo, governor of Edo state on Friday warned Peter Obi never to enter the state without security clearance, but his statement has triggered umbrage from some Nigerians who accused the governor of tyranny without knowledge.
Some of the respondents demanded unreserved apology from the governor to Peter Obi and to Nigerians.
Obi who the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, visited Benin on July 7 and donated N15m million to St Philomena Hospital School of Nursing Sciences for the completion of projects in the school.
However, Obi’s kind gesture did not go down well with the governor who said while receiving a PDP member who defected to his party, the APC: “That man who says he has no ‘shishi’ came and dropped ₦15 million. Where did he get it from? After he left, three people were killed. For this reason, Obi must not come to Edo without security clearance,” Okpebholo said.
The governor added: “His visit coincided with a resurgence of violence in the state and this will not be tolerated,” the governor stated.
Okpebholo said that the APC is now firmly in control of Edo State, stressing that all traces of the opposition would be completely erased by the 2027 general elections.
He added, “We are not lobbying anyone to join APC; they are coming because they see the results of our governance. In 2027, 2.5 million votes from Edo are guaranteed for President Bola Tinubu. Last week, we finally buried the PDP in Edo State. I saw someone crying at Ring Road, talking about having 65 per cent. That is what we call social media winning. When I said I would become the Governor, I meant it. Today, we are turning Edo into a construction site, and they can see it,” he said.
But Okpebholo’s pronouncement on Peter Obi has been condemned across various social media platforms by Nigerians with some calling him out for a ‘clear breach of the constitution’ which guarantees freedom of movement for all Nigerians.
“Okpebholo is an illiterate. I am not surprised that a governor of his kind could think this way and even voice it out. What a disgrace to leadership?” wrote Deola Omagbemi in response to the trending story.
Another respondent, Jude Eromosele, said Okpebholo is only showing his ‘ignorance of the law and his duty as governor’ of a state. He described the governor’s comment as ‘the wordings of an illiterate leader.’
Some wondered how a governor could link the death of persons to Peter Obi’s visit, saying it lacked logic and the backing of the law.
