Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo used the APC’s campaign flag-off in Benin City on Tuesday to demand the immediate and unconditional release of abducted victims, while warning that kidnapping, banditry and other criminal acts cannot be a path to political power. Speaking at Urhokpota Hall, he said those seeking office should not try to distract President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from governing, adding that innocent citizens taken in recent attacks must be freed without delay.
The governor’s remarks landed at a moment when searches around monday okpebholo were being driven by both the abduction crisis and the campaign stage he chose to make his case. He said kidnapping innocent citizens will not win elections, and argued that no political party can attain power through fear or violence. In the same breath, he called on abductors to release students, teachers and other citizens caught up in recent incidents across the country, including Oyo State.
Okpebholo tied the insecurity message to the wider political season, saying insecurity should not be allowed to derail his administration’s development agenda or undermine national stability. He also praised Tinubu’s economic reforms, especially the removal of fuel subsidy, and said the policy had left more resources in state hands for infrastructure and other projects. That made his warning harder to separate from his politics: he was condemning criminality while using the platform to rally support for the president and the APC.
He told the crowd there was no vacancy in Aso Rock and said Edo State would stand firmly behind Tinubu and the Renewed Hope Agenda ahead of the 2027 general elections. He also said the APC had fielded a youthful and energetic slate of candidates for the local government elections, framing the party as one that is opening the door for younger leaders at the grassroots. Deputy Governor Dennis Idahosa praised that approach, while Okpebholo unveiled Engr. Ogbeide Ihama, Dr Paddy Iyamu and Bar Omorede Igbinedion as candidates for upcoming contests.
The immediate question is not whether the governor has chosen sides — he has. The question now is whether his call for the release of abducted victims will lead to any movement on the ground, or whether the country will hear another forceful warning about insecurity without seeing arrests, releases or any public response from the people behind the kidnappings.
