Niger Delta

Edo Guber Poll: Ganduje Inaugurates Campaign Council …Vows To Reclaim State For APC

Published

2 years ago

July 24, 2024

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Umar Ganduje, on Saturday inaugurated the national campaign council of the party for the 2024 governorship election in Edo State.
Inaugurating the council headed by Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State, Ganduje charged the members to ensure the party reclaimed the state from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) during the September 21 off-cycle election.
The National Chairman, who was excited with the official defection of the state’s Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, to the APC, said the party had secured up to 50 per cent of the people in the government of the State.
He urged the campaign council to swing into action to ensure that all members at the local government areas and unit levels come out to campaign and vote.
“A flag-off rally will soon be organised so that President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will be in Benin-City.
“We are so happy because our incoming governor and his deputy have already produced a blueprint for the development of Edo state; they are not full with MoUs.
“They are coming with a blueprint and practical steps, so that Edo can fully develop and be connected to the centre”, he said.
The former Governor of Kano State said if the state was not connected to the centre, it would not experience a full political participation and dividends of democracy.
According to him, the only way to achieve this, is by voting for Sen. Monday Okpebholo and his running mate, Dennis Idahosa, who are flying the flag of the party in the election.
Ganduje commended the Oba of Benin for maintaining peace and tranquility in the state, assuring that the incoming APC government would appreciate and respect the traditional council under the Oba of Benin.
Sen. Okpebholo said Edo had never been so divided as it was currently.
The APC candidate castigated Gov. Godwin Obaseki for raising the state debt profile from about ¦ 43 billion when he took over in 2016 to over ¦ 500 billion.
“We are here to change it; we are coming to restore infrastructure, to restore education and to restore security to the state.
“We are bringing practical governance into the state”, he said.
The State Chairman of APC, Jarret Tenebe, urged the national chairman of the party to join them to rescue the state from the grip of the PDP.
Earlier, the Senator representing Edo North and former governor of the state, Sen. Adams Oshiomhole, said the gathering represented the very essence of the broom, a reunion of the people who were deceived in their former party.
Oshiomhole said Okpebholo, if elected, had a huge task ahead of him as governor of Edo.
He urged the people of the state to make a comparison of the years of the rule of the APC and the PDP in the state and see the difference.
“Edo people have the chance to sit back and ask themselves the differences between the years the APC ruled the state and the years the PDP ruled.
“Governance is about having human empathy. Those who do not know your house cannot fix the linkages; only those who know the linkages can help fix them.
“If they can cheat themselves and go to court, we will not allow them to cheat [at the polls]. It will be one-man-one-vote”, he said.
Commenting on the killing of Insp. Onu Akon, the police aide of Sen. Okpebholo, Oshiomhole vowed to ensure that the national assembly investigate the death and that the investigation would not be messed up.
He, however, called on the Inspector-General of Police to disband the State Security Network, which he said had become a tool for oppression in the hand of the state government.
Oshiomhole also called on the state Commissioner of Police, Funsho Adegboye, “to defend the integrity of his uniform by apprehending the perpetrators of the act and bring them to book.
According to him, “The days of oppression are over. They shall know no peace because they have murdered sleep”.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the campaign council, Governor Ottu of Cross Rivers, promised to deliver the state for the APC come September 21.

Niger Delta

Okpebholo Assures Corps Members Of Improved Welfare

Published

3 days ago

January 28, 2026

The Tide

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has assured corps members deployed to the state of improved welfare and a supportive service year.

Okpebholo gave the assurance at the swearing-in ceremony of the 2026 Batch ‘A’ Stream I corps members last Friday at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Permanent Orientation Camp in Okada.

The Governor also reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to youth empowerment, safety and entrepreneurship.

Represented by the Commissioner for Youth Affairs, Mrs. Charity Amayaenvbo, the Governor urged corps members to embrace innovation, community service and self-reliance rather than wait for white-collar jobs.

“Edo is committed to supporting youth empowerment, entrepreneurship and incentives that turn ideas into enterprises.

“Do not wait for jobs, create value. Wherever you are posted, serve your host community with humility, dedication and compassion.

“Have a positive footprint and let your service contribute to unity, productivity and progress,” he said.

Okpebholo assured the corps members that the state government was attentive to their welfare and had started addressing key concerns raised by the NYSC leadership.

“On behalf of the state government, I assure you of our support in terms of safety, an enabling environment and a rewarding service year.

“I listened carefully to the requests highlighted by the state coordinator, and I am glad to inform you that some of them have already been captured in the 2026 budget, which has been approved and signed into law,” he said.

The Governor noted that provisions for accommodation, meal subsidies, logistics and the construction of a multipurpose hall at the camp were included in the budget.

Earlier in her address, the Edo State Coordinator of the NYSC, Dr. Frances Ben-Ushie, described the ceremony as a reflection of the state government’s commitment to youth development and national integration.

Ben-Ushie said as of midnight on Thursday, a total of 1,235 prospective corps members, comprising 531 males and over 700 females, had been duly registered.

She congratulated the corps members on their enlistment into what she described as a “noble scheme,” urging them to embrace discipline, learning and active participation throughout the orientation course.

“The NYSC platform provides a unique avenue to meet people from diverse backgrounds, build lifelong friendships and create networks that can open doors to greater opportunities,” she said.

Ben-Ushie also highlighted the contributions of the NYSC to the state’s development, noting that the scheme had consistently provided skilled manpower, promoted labour mobility and strengthened national unity.

She cited initiatives such as the Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers and the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme as key interventions benefiting communities across the state.

The NYSC coordinator commended the state government for its support, including the provision of buses for corps members, and appealed for further intervention to address lingering operational challenges at the orientation camp.

She expressed confidence that resolving the issues would enhance the effectiveness of NYSC programmes in the state and thanked the Governor for prioritising the welfare, security and growth of corps members.

Niger Delta

PDP Declares Edo Airline’s Plan As Misplaced Priority

Published

3 days ago

January 28, 2026

The Tide

The Edo chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday condemned the state government’s reported plan to establish a state-owned airline.

The party, in a statement by its Edo State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Dan Osa-Ogbegie, described the proposal as a misplaced priority and evidence of poor, disconnected governance.

The Tide’s source reports that the State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, unveiled the airline plan during a meeting with Aviation Minister, Mr. Festus Keyamo, in Abuja.

Osa-Ogbegie said the proposal showed a government out of touch with the pressing challenges confronting Edo State residents.

“At a time of decaying infrastructure and stalled projects, establishing an airline is unrealistic and profoundly insensitive”, he said.

He argued that airlines were capital-intensive and technically demanding, noting that similar state-owned ventures in Nigeria had largely failed.

According to him, Benin has become a shadow of what a modern state capital should be.

He decried poor roads, collapsed urban planning, neglected drainage systems and weak municipal services across the state capital.

“This is a crying shame for a city of Benin’s history, heritage and enormous potential”, he said.

Osa-Ogbegie said several inherited projects had stalled or deteriorated, eroding investor confidence and undermining economic growth.

He accused the governor of pursuing “white elephant projects that offer optics without substance.”

He also cited ongoing flyover projects in parts of Benin as examples of poor prioritisation.

Against this background, he described the airline proposal as diversionary and lacking economic sense.

“When roads are barely motorable and services overstretched, proposing an airline betrays an absence of judgment,” he said.

He urged the government to abandon the plan and focus on people-centred priorities that would improve living conditions and spur growth.

“Edo does not need an airline to fly above its problems. It needs a government ready to confront them on the ground,” he said.

He warned that failure to refocus would deepen perceptions of an administration lacking direction, competence and a coherent development agenda.

Niger Delta

Students Protest Non-indigene Appointment As Rector in C’River

Published

3 days ago

January 28, 2026

The Tide

Students of Federal Polytechnic, Ugep, Cross River State, have protested to the Governor’s Office in Calabar over an alleged plan to appoint a non-indigene as Rector for the institution.

Carrying placards with various inscriptions, the students demanded respect for catchment area policy, local content, and the appointment of an indigene of the state as Rector of the institution.

Speaking on behalf of the students in Calabar, Stephen Etem said the protest sought to alert the Federal and Cross River State Governments to an alleged deviation from the established rectorial selection process.

Etem said a Governing Council, chaired by Sen. Florence Ita-Giwa, was constituted by the Federal Government to conduct the Rector selection exercise.

“The screening, which began last year, reportedly produced a Cross River State indigene as highest scorer and recommended candidate.

“Information available to us suggests that the alleged recommended candidate’s name might be substituted at the Federal Ministry of Education.

“We urge the Federal Government to uphold the council’s recommendation because altering the process could threaten peace in the institution,” he noted.

Responding at the Government House, Mr. Goddie Akpama, the Special Adviser on Intelligence to the State Governor, Bassey Otu, appealed for calm, saying the Governor was away but would be briefed.

Akpama advised the students to submit written petitions through appropriate channels, avoid inflammatory language, and engage authorities to ensure stability and uninterrupted academic activities.