Immediate past Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has accused his successor, Governor Monday Okpebholo, of sponsoring violent attacks against him and issuing threats meant to intimidate him.
Speaking at a public event in London over the weekend, Obaseki alleged that the Edo State government funded thugs who disrupted a Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) exhibition in the United Kingdom, before trailing him to Manchester for another attempted assault.
“As if that was not enough, the government paid people to come to Manchester to attack me,” Obaseki said.
“Who has started this violence? Is it me? Last week, this governor held a disgraceful press conference in which he threatened me not to come to Benin.”
The former governor, who left office in November 2024, claimed he had kept silent for a year “out of respect for governance,” only for the new administration to allegedly launch a “coordinated series of attacks and harassment” against him.
He said Governor Okpebholo was acting out of fear because “he knows they did not win the election.”
Tension between both leaders has intensified since Okpebholo assumed office and initiated multiple investigations into the Obaseki administration.
One of his first actions was constituting a 14-member panel to probe assets, liabilities, contracts and major financial decisions taken under Obaseki.
Okpebholo also ordered a review of all recruitments carried out between May and November 2024, alleging that due process was breached.
Last week, the governor escalated the conflict by calling on the Federal Government to repatriate Obaseki to Nigeria over alleged mismanagement of funds related to the controversial MOWAA project.
Dismissing claims that he had been attacking the new government, Obaseki said he intentionally avoided public criticism for one year to allow the administration stabilise.
“For one year since I left office, I didn’t say a word,” he stressed. “Go and find out — you won’t see one thing I said about his government.”
Obaseki warned that he would no longer remain silent if the alleged threats continue.
“I can’t leave myself empty to be hurt and attacked by deranged people. So I am going to fight back. I will fight back. I didn’t start the fight,” he said.
As of press time, Governor Okpebholo had yet to respond to the allegations. PLATFORM TIMES will provide updates as the story develops.
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