As Edo State marked Governor Monday Okpebholo’s first year in office, the state government and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDp) exchanged sharp criticism over the administration’s record.

At a press briefing on Thursday, Edo PDP Chairman Dr Tony Aziegbemi described the past year as “a year of wasted opportunity, policy paralysis, and institutional regression.” He accused the government of reversing progress made under the previous administration, saying, “Edo tragically returned to the pre-Obaseki era, an age defined by ignorance, propaganda, and prebendal politics.”

Aziegbemi claimed the government had stalled land administration reforms by failing to sign Certificates of Occupancy. “For almost a year, no Certificates of Occupancy have been signed, leaving investors stranded and property owners trapped,” he said. He argued that this had “crippled private investment” and “reignited land disputes across the state,” adding that while the former administration signed “1,000 Certificates of Occupancy monthly,” only 25 had been issued after 365 days under Okpebholo.

He said the administration had no functioning cabinet for months and eventually appointed “an over-bloated team of recycled aides without vision or coherence.” He alleged that due process had broken down, saying, “Contracts are awarded in secrecy, there is no tender board, merit has been discarded, and the government now operates like a personal fiefdom driven by emotion, not policy.”

Aziegbemi insisted that “no single new capital project” had been initiated aside from what he called “an ill-thought-out flyover,” and claimed that local governments were owing workers and pensioners. He added, “Obaseki received a total of N154bn in 10 months of 2024, while Okpebholo has received N236bn in the last 10 months and has done nothing with it.”

The state government pushed back strongly. as Commissioner for Information and Strategy Kassim Afegbua dismissed the PDP’s claims as “tissues of lies.” He accused the opposition of relying on propaganda, saying, “They are used to lies, deep in deceit, soaked in liquor, and psychedelic in emanation.”

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Afegbua said the PDP had “become a party in extinction,” driven by “turncoat politicians riddled with over-bloated ego and crass ignorance about positive governance.” He argued that the state was seeing steady progress, adding, “We are delivering on our promises and making sure there is value for money.”

Responding to the opposition’s criticism of ongoing projects, he said, “From flyover to roads infrastructure, from schools’ repair to primary health care projects, Governor Okpebholo has turned Edo into a construction site, but those PDP and their coupon clippers who are used to ‘Obubuyaya’ type of projects, driven by propaganda, cannot rationalise good governance when they see one.”

Governor Okpebholo, who succeeded former Governor Godwin Obaseki on November 12, 2024, marked his first anniversary on Wednesday with a colloquium attended by APC National Chairman Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Deputy Governor Dennis Idahosa, and other dignitaries. At the event, he presented what he described as his administration’s scorecard and listed achievements across several sectors.