19/07/2025
An Open Letter to the Governor of Edo State:
Dear Governor Monday Okpebholo,
Greetings in the name of the common good.
I watched with growing concern and a deep sense of civic duty the video clip of your remarks at a recent public event, where you received decampees from the opposition PDP into the APC. Your statement, now widely circulated on social and traditional media, directly referenced Mr. Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate. Permit me to refresh your memory on your exact words:
"The man wey say he nor 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's in Edo State, he will take it. I am serious about it..."
Sir, with all due respect to your Exalted office, this is one of the most troubling statements ever made by a sitting Governor in Nigeria's Fourth Republic. In fact, if words were weapons, your utterance would qualify as a loaded gun aimed at the very heart of democratic freedom and civility.
Let us unpack the logical inconsistencies in your claim.
First, you question the source of Mr. Obi’s donation of ₦15 million to St. Philomena Catholic Nursing School in Benin City, as though generosity were a crime. Mr. Obi, known across Nigeria for his modest lifestyle and philanthropic visits to schools and hospitals, made a routine visit to an institution dedicated to the training of nurses; our heroes in white, whose services are vital to Edo and Nigeria at large. To suggest that this act of charity was somehow responsible for the death of three persons is not only absurd, it is also deeply irresponsible.
Where is the evidence linking Mr. Obi’s visit to the alleged crisis? Was it his mere presence that caused the violence? Were the security agencies not informed? And if indeed such a tragic incident occurred, what has your government done to investigate it, punish the perpetrators, and ensure non-recurrence? It is easier to scapegoat a political opponent than to govern responsibly. But we the Edo people are not fools.
Your comments eerily echo those made by the Governor of Benue State, Fr. Hyacinth Alia, when Mr. Obi attempted to visit Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in that state. That, too, was a disgraceful episode, where politics was placed above compassion and humanity. Are we now saying that political affiliation determines one's right to show empathy? Shall we reduce governance to a playground of bullies and gatekeepers?
Governor Okpebholo, Nigeria is not a monarchy, and Edo State is not a private estate. Section 41 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) guarantees that:
“Every citizen of Nigeria is entitled to move freely throughout Nigeria and to reside in any part thereof..."
Your threat to Mr. Obi’s life and security is not only unconstitutional, it is a dangerous incitement. It sets a precedent that political rivalry justifies lawlessness. The implication is that any person not aligned with the ruling party must first "take permission" before entering a state in their own country. That, Sir, is tyranny in sheep’s clothing.
If this were a saner clime, all your public relations advisers and image managers would have handed in their resignation letters by now, for dereliction of duty and for failing to school their principal in the etiquette of public speech. There is such a thing as statesmanship. It demands restraint. It requires a measure of dignity. It places the burden of leadership above the temptations of partisanship.
Mr. Obi did not visit Edo to hold a political rally. He did not incite violence, nor did he speak ill of your government. He came to donate to a health institution; something we should all be doing more of. If your government cannot match such efforts, at least allow others who can.
The time has come for all lovers of democracy to speak up. Nigeria is bigger than any political party. And no Governor, no matter how newly installed, has the constitutional right to threaten a fellow citizen or undermine his safety.
Governor Okpebholo, the office you hold is a sacred trust. Use your words to build, not to burn. Use your power to serve, not to threaten.
Because indeed, there is a new Sheriff in town. And his name is Democracy.
Yours, in the service of truth and justice,
