The senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has argued that Edo State enjoyed better security during his time as governor than Anambra State did under the administration of Peter Obi.
Speaking during an interview on Seun Okinbaloye’s podcast, which gained attention on Sunday, Oshiomhole compared the security records of both states during the period they served as governors.
Oshiomhole governed Edo State from 2008 to 2016, while Obi served as governor of Anambra from 2006 to 2014 before handing over to Willie Obiano.
The former Edo governor claimed Obi failed to effectively tackle insecurity in Anambra despite spending nearly eight years in office.
“Peter Obi could not fix insecurity in Anambra state. It took the intervention of Governor Obiano, who took over from him and began to destroy the properties of those whom he believed had used their compounds for kidnapping,” Oshiomhole said.
“And Governor Obi, as he then was. I was a governor then. My state was safer than Anambra under Obi. So, if Obi couldn’t fix Anambra State and couldn’t handle the Bakassi boys until Obiano intervened, do you think that is the guy who will have the courage (to fix Nigeria)?”
Oshiomhole alleged that kidnapping had become widespread in Anambra during Obi’s administration.
“It got to a situation where wives kidnapped husbands and husbands kidnapped wives and told children to bring money. It got to that level,” he said.
The senator maintained that Anambra remained less secure than Edo during their respective tenures and reiterated that Obi was unable to effectively address insecurity or deal with the activities of the Bakassi Boys before leaving office.
“So, if Obi couldn’t fix Anambra state and couldn’t handle the Bakassi boys until Obiano intervened, do you think that is the guy who will have the courage?” he asked.
Oshiomhole also criticised Obi’s stance against ethnic profiling, arguing that political leaders should focus on presenting practical solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.
“Recently, he said we shouldn’t be doing ethnic profiling. Fine. What then should we be doing?” he said.
“Everybody knows that things are not perfect, but a statesman must provide answers. There have to be specific new things that they will bring. But we haven’t heard anything other than the buzzword, ‘Do the right thing.’
“What is the right thing and what is the left thing? Tinubu will win hands down, and these people will not get the kind of votes they got before.”
Obi, who finished third in the 2023 presidential election as the Labour Party (LP) candidate, is currently the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 election.