Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has said leading opposition figures, including Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, had failed Nigeria in the past.
Okpebholo made the remarks on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’.
Responding to a question on whether anything could hinder President Bola Tinubu’s chances in the next election, the governor said the president’s performance had already secured victory.
“President Tinubu has made a landmark for this country, and this election is already as good as won,” he said.
“His work, his policies, are speaking for him.”
The governor also alleged that the rising insecurity in the country is being driven by political opponents aiming to undermine the administration ahead of the election.
He claimed that incidents of kidnapping and killings are being sponsored by opposition elements.
“You know that it is the evil people that are creating this insecurity. The more the president tries to stop them, because the election is coming, they are sponsoring them to come out,” he said.
When asked if insecurity was politically motivated, he replied, “yes, of course”.
“The opposition is using them. Just to make sure that people will say, ‘Ah, this president is not doing well.’ Opposition is the one behind the kidnapping, the killings,” he added.
Okpebholo insisted that Tinubu “must win” re-election and dismissed the possibility of opposition figures such as Obi or Amaechi posing a serious challenge.
“Do you know that these people have actually failed this country in the past?” he said.
When asked if the same applied to Abubakar, the governor answered in the affirmative.
He added that although Abubakar served as vice-president under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, he played a significant role in key government decisions.
Asked whether he believed the Tinubu administration had surpassed that of Obasanjo, Okpebholo responded, “yes, of course”.
The governor also played down concerns about opposition parties uniting ahead of the 2027 election, insisting it posed no threat to Tinubu’s chances.
“It’s not dangerous. The Bible says they must gather, but yeah, they will scatter,” he said.