Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State on Friday delivered a strong warning to Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, stating that Obi must seek and receive prior approval before entering the state or risk his personal safety.
The governor made the statement during a defection rally in Uromi, the headquarters of Esan North-East Local Government Area, where he welcomed Marcus Onobun—former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly and current PDP representative for Esan Central/Esan West/Igueben Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives—into the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Governor Okpebholo warned that any visit to Edo State by Obi without proper notification would be at his own risk.
“The man wey say he no get shishi, I am sending a direct message to him: there is a new sheriff in town. He cannot come to Edo without telling me because his security will never be guaranteed. Whatever happens to him when he is in Edo State, he will take it. I am serious about it,” Okpebholo told the crowd.
The remarks referenced Obi’s July 7, 2025, visit to Edo State, during which he donated N15 million to the St. Philomena Hospital School of Nursing in Benin. The governor questioned the source of the donation, implying it conflicted with Obi’s public image.
“He came the other day and donated N15 million. Somebody wey say he no get shishi — where he get N15 million to donate to people? By the time he left, there was crisis. Three people died in Benin. So, for that reason, tell Obi he should not come to Edo without telling me,” he added.
A 57-second video from the event also showed Governor Okpebholo singing a popular gospel-inspired street chant: “No be say we dey craze, na God we dey praise o.”
Turning to Onobun’s defection, the governor declared that the APC had solidified its grip on Edo State and aimed to eliminate opposition forces entirely by the 2027 general elections.
“We are not lobbying anyone to join APC; they are coming because they see the results of our governance. In 2027, 2.5 million votes from Edo are guaranteed for President Bola Tinubu,” he stated.
“Last week, we finally buried the PDP in Edo State. I saw someone crying at Ring Road, talking about having 65%. That is what we call social media winning. When I said I would become governor, I meant it. Today, we are turning Edo into a construction site, and they can see it,” he added.
In his remarks, Onobun said his decision to switch parties was rooted in both strategy and ideology.
“I led the campaign for an Esan Governor. Now that we have one, I cannot be in the opposition. I have seen what Governor Okpebholo is doing; Edo people have seen it. I am back home to support him so that our people can get more,” he said.
Onobun returned to the APC alongside several former party members who had previously defected with him to the PDP.
Click the link to watch the video.