Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has warned Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, against visiting the state without first notifying him.
Speaking on Friday, July 18, 2025, at a defection rally in Uromi, the governor issued the warning while addressing a crowd celebrating the defection of Marcus Onobun — the only Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member in the House of Representatives from Edo — to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a 57-second video from the event, Okpebholo accused Obi of visiting Edo without prior notice and suggested that such actions could endanger his safety.
“The man who said he doesn’t have a kobo — I am sending him a direct message: there’s a new sheriff in town. He cannot come to Edo without informing me because his security will not be guaranteed. Whatever happens to him in this state, he will take responsibility. I’m serious about it,” the governor said to loud cheers.
He also referenced Obi’s recent visit to Benin, where the former Anambra governor donated N15 million to St. Philomena Hospital’s School of Nursing.
“He came the other day and donated N15 million. Someone who claims he has no money — where did he get that from? After he left, crisis broke out and three people died in Benin. That’s why I’m saying he must not come here again without telling me,” Okpebholo said.
Commenting on Onobun’s defection, the governor declared that the APC had taken full control of Edo politics and predicted a total sweep of the state by the next general election.
“We’re not lobbying anyone to join APC; they’re coming because they see results. In 2027, 2.5 million votes from Edo are guaranteed for President Bola Tinubu,” he said.
He added that the PDP was “finally buried” in the state, boasting of ongoing development projects that, according to him, have turned Edo into a “construction site.”
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