By John Ogunsemore
The Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, has warned the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, against visiting the state without obtaining necessary security clearance.
He said the former Anambra governor’s July 7 visit to St Philomena Hospital School of Nursing Sciences, Benin City, where he donated N15 million, coincided with the resurgence of violence in the state.
Okpebholo spoke on Friday when he received a member of the House of Representatives, Marcus Onobun, into the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Onobun, the lawmaker representing Esan Central/Esan West/Igueben Federal Constituency, resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The governor said, “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.
“His visit coincided with a resurgence of violence in the state, and this will not be tolerated.”
Okpebholo commended Onobun, a former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, for joining the APC.
He said Onobun, being the last opposition federal lawmaker in the state, had sealed the PDP’s fate with his move.
He said the opposition would become history in the state by the 2027 general election.
“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.
