Okpebholo Dismantling Obaseki’s Legacy for Tinubu’s 2027 Agenda

When Monday Okpebholo became governor of Edo State in September 2024, he was handed a state that, for all its flaws, had started smelling like the 21st century. Obaseki had dragged Edo, kicking and screaming, into a digital era. Levies went cashless. Teachers had tablets. Land acquisition was no longer a gamble. Even the civil service stopped looking like a relic from 1970.

• READ ALSO: Adams Oshiomhole: A Political Career Built on Chronic Lies and Deception

Fast-forward to today, and it looks like someone pulled the plug. The digital dream is collapsing, insecurity is creeping back, and Edo is sliding into chaos. Let’s call it what it is: Okpebholo is failing to sustain Obaseki’s innovations.

The Digital Shutdown

Remember the fancy e-governance system Obaseki built? The one that stopped files from rotting in drawers and kept government transactions transparent? Okpebholo says nobody in government even has the login password anymore. He claimed the system was being run by “non-state actors.” Really? So, a whole state government is locked out of its own digital platform? Instead of fixing it, he’s “reviewing” it. What this means is that Edo State is back to paper, back to bottlenecks, back to brown envelopes and back to financial leakages.

IGR and Revenue Crash

Obaseki’s reforms pushed Edo’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) up to around N8 billion a month. That’s serious money. Under Okpebholo, it has nose-dived. In January 2025, IGR was N4.7 billion. By February, it dropped to N3.4 billion. That’s not governance; that’s free fall. And when the government is broke, ordinary people pay the price.

Agberos Back in Full Force

Walk through Ring Road or anywhere buses load in Benin, and you’ll see them. Agberos (street thugs) back in their uniforms of chaos, harassing commercial drivers, extorting motorists, and making life hell for traders. The notorious NURTW that was banned during Obaseki’s administration is back! Obaseki had tamed this menace by digitalizing levy collection. Today, it’s cash, harassment, and muscle again. The streets are back in the hands of touts.

• READ ALSO: How To PhotoShop Yourself Into History: The Oshiomhole Edition

Security Meltdown

Obaseki’s “Operation Wabaizigan” gave criminals a tough time. Under Okpebholo, kidnappers and bandits are back on the headlines. Farmers can’t go to their farms, travelers can’t sleep with two eyes closed. Fulani herdsmen are kiling Edo sons and daughters. The state feels like it’s under siege again. Opebholo is afraid to confront this challenge because it might hurt Bola Tinubu’s 2027 ambition. In other words, one man’s political ambition is prioritized over the lives of Edo citizens.

Lavish Spending, Empty Governance

While revenues are collapsing, Okpebholo’s government is reportedly burning through billions like a drunk spraying money at a burial party. Over N30 billion in state funds allegedly vanished into “godfather settlements.” He allegedly bought cars worth over N5 billion. And let’s not forget his inauguration, which critics claim gulped N5 billion. Edo people are being told to “tighten belts,” but government belts are obviously Gucci.

Education and Healthcare: Back to Neglect

The EdoBEST program had retrained teachers and brought dignity back to public schools. Now? Silence. No expansion, no continuation. The momentum is dead. Health centers and hospitals that got attention under Obaseki are falling back into neglect. If you fall sick, pray first, because the system won’t save you.

Witch-Hunting Instead of Governing

Instead of building on what he inherited, Okpebholo spends more time auditing Obaseki than actually governing. Panels here, committees there. Instead of building, he’s digging. Edo people didn’t vote him to be an Obaseki detective. They voted him to lead.

• RELATED POST: Edo APC’s Campaign for Tinubu 2027: A Slap in the Face of Suffering Nigerians

Instead of fixing Edo, Okpebholo’s eyes are glued to Abuja. His speeches and body language show one thing: he’s working overtime to secure Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. Every move seems less about Edo people and more about staying in Tinubu’s good books. A bus conductor at Ramat Park put it bluntly: “Our governor no dey govern Edo. Na Tinubu him dey govern for. If Tinubu sneeze, Okpebholo go catch cold. Edo dey rot, him no send us.”

• READ ALSO: How Edo Finally Became Lagos!

And the bottom line? Edo State has slid from digital promise back into analog dysfunction. Touts are running the streets. Revenue is evaporating. Security is collapsing. Schools are stagnant. Hospitals are gasping. Meanwhile, the government is throwing parties with billions. Monday Okpebholo inherited a state on the rise. In less than a year, he’s turning it into a circus. If Obaseki’s era was about innovation, Okpebholo’s era, so far, is about erosion. Edo people deserve better than this tragic comedy.

• READ ALSO: Okphebolo Vs Obi: Adams Oshiomhole Again Distorts Facts on Live TV