Pdp Says Okpebholo’s First Year Fell Short, Lists Failures and Lost Projects

The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has called Governor Monday Okpebholo’s first year in office a failure, saying the state has slid backwards and that the administration wasted key chances to move Edo forward.

In a statement released in Benin City and signed by party chairman Tony Aziegbemi, the PDP criticised the past twelve months for a lack of clear policy, slow economic activity and weakened institutions. The party argued that leadership has been driven more by feeling and publicity than by firm plans.

“Edo has suffered wasted opportunities under accidental leadership, where governance has been reduced to emotion and propaganda rather than policy and vision.”

The PDP said the state functioned for months without a proper cabinet, and when ministers were finally named they were mostly “recycled aides without focus or coherence.” It accused the government of making contract decisions in secret, sidelining tender boards, and ignoring merit.

“The government now operates like a personal fiefdom, driven by emotion, not policy,” Aziegbemi said.

On the economy, the opposition said the administration started no new capital projects in its first year and that some existing works were left to stall. The party compared recent revenue figures with little to show for them and warned that local councils and pension systems were under strain.

“No single new capital project has been initiated. Existing ones have been abandoned. Local governments owe salaries, pensioners remain unpaid, and investor confidence has collapsed,” the party said, adding that Edo’s economic rating had “nosedived under a government that lacks direction.”

The PDP also accused the state of rolling back reforms that had brought order to land matters. It said no new Certificates of Occupancy have been issued for nearly a year, a step that has hurt investors and trapped property owners.

“For almost a year, no Certificates of Occupancy have been signed, leaving investors stranded and property owners trapped,” the statement read.

Party officials painted a bleak picture of Benin City, saying streets and public spaces are neglected and basic services have fallen off. “The once-structured environment has given way to photo-ops and political ceremonies,” it said.

On education and training, the PDP said programmes begun by the previous government have been dismantled. Teacher training, digital learning and scholarship schemes were named as areas that have suffered. Even the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Iguoriakhi, which the party said once led a revival, has been left to decline.

“Even the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Iguoriakhi, which once stood as a model of revival, has been abandoned by this clueless government,” the PDP chairman stated.

The opposition closed by urging a quick change of course, saying Edo needs steady planning, restored institutions, and a return to projects that put citizens first.