The governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, has voiced his displeasure with the remarks made by Chris Nehikhare, the state’s PDP publicity secretary, against his administration’s handling of insecurity.
Fred Itua, Okpebholo’s chief press secretary, issued a statement on Sunday accusing Nehikhare of making false and deceptive statements out of desperation.
“Our attention has been drawn to yet another reckless, misleading, and baseless statement from Chris Osa Nehikhare, the Publicity Secretary of the Edo PDP Caretaker Committee,” Itua said.
“His latest piece is nothing short of a desperate, fear-mongering diatribe designed to mislead Edo people, scare off potential investors, and distract from the undeniable security progress being made under Governor Okpebholo’s administration.”
“For clarity, Edo State is not, and will never be, the so-called ‘capital of kidnapping and violent crimes,’ as Nehikhare maliciously claims. This is a dishonest fabrication from a party, which time in power was marked by gross incompetence, abject failure, and outright surrender to criminals.”
“If anyone should be silent on security matters, it is the PDP. Under the watch of the PDP, cultists took over Edo State, leaving over 100 people dead in a wave of attacks, with the then Governor, Godwin Obaseki, admitting that he was helpless and overwhelmed.”
“The security architecture in Edo was further crippled by neglect, with Obaseki’s government procuring second-hand, and unfit sienna vehicles that failed to serve their purpose. Vigilance groups and local security outfits were abandoned with the PDP government, making no provision for the renumeration.”
“The total collapse of security under the Obaseki-led PDP government reached its zenith, when Edo Chairman of the party (PDP), Anthony Aziegbemi, was brazenly kidnapped in the heart of the city—GRA, Benin. This shocking incident exposed the PDP’s utter helplessness and inability to protect even its own leaders, let alone the people of Edo State.”
Nehikhare, the state’s immediate Commissioner for Communication and Orientation and a man who supported the disastrous collapse of the PDP government, was crying crocodile tears over insecurity after the CPS called the governor of Edo’s decision “laughable.”
He said: “The same PDP-led government in Edo abandoned security, allowed cultists to take over the state, and openly admitted helplessness, as killings skyrocketed. Edo people have not forgotten that it was under PDP’s watch that security in the state completely collapsed, forcing citizens to live in fear.”
“Governor Okpebholo’s security vote is being prudently utilised for the protection of lives and property, not squandered like in the past. Edo people are seeing the difference already—security agencies have been strengthened, kidnappers are being flushed out, and criminals no longer have a free hand to operate.”
“Obaseki government, despite all its noise, could not apprehend the kidnappers, proving that they had completely lost control of the state’s security architecture. Yet, today, the same PDP leader dares to question a government that has taken bold steps to reverse the mess they created?”
Itua also stated that unlike the PDP’s years of excuses and failures, Okpebholo hit the ground running, implementing concrete and strategic measures to secure the state.
