Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has asked the Edo State publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chris Osa Nehikhare and a chieftain of the party, Mr. Shedrach Udugbai, to tender an immediate apology to him for alleging that he intended to buy the defection of State Assembly members with N200 million.
The governor, who gave the PDP leaders a five day notice to tender the apology, said the allegations were wholly false and calculated to damage his hard-earned reputation.
The governor’s pre-action notice to the PDP chieftains was signed by his legal representatives, Dr. Blessing Agbomhere Esq. and Taiwo Elizabeth Olorunfemi Esq.
The State Assembly is dominated by PDP lawmakers while Okpebholo is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The governor referred to Nehikhare’s press release on March 19, 2025 captioned; “Edo Pdp Condemns Okpebholo’s N200m Bribery Ploy To Buy Defection Of Each Assembly Member…reckless Misappropriation Of State Resources” and “Senator Monday Okpebholo Has Summoned All Councillors From The 18 Local Councils Of Edo State, In A Desperate Attempt To Woo Them With N2m Each To Decamp To The All Progressives Congress (APC).”
Udugbai was said to have defamed the governor while appearing on “This Morning on ITV” a program aired on Benin based independent television (ITV) on March 13, 2025 in which he accused Governor Okpebholo of bribing three members of the PDP in the state House of Assembly with two hundred million naira each to defect to the All Progressives Congress.
The pre-action notice signed by the governor’s legal representatives and sighted by our Correspondent, said the defamatory comments could be construed to mean that; “the governor is a dishonorable man who engages in bribery and corruption and deals callously with the commonwealth of Edo state; that Our Client is a “dishonest man who can only have things done through bribery and corrupt practices”; and that our client is a “dishonest person incapable of managing the affairs of Edo State and/or holding any public office.”
The governor lamented that the wide broadcast of the said press release and interview including on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, significantly amplified the reach and impact of the defamatory comments, resulting in consequential harm to him.
Okpebholo said he had been adjudged by all well-meaning Edo indigenes and Nigerians in general, as one of the few state governors who is doing well and managing the state funds prudently.
He added that before becoming the governor of Edo State, he was a Senator who performed his legislative duties impeccably without blemishes hence his nomination by the APC as their candidate for the governorship of Edo state, a position he occupies.
“Our client has not been arrested, charged or convicted for financial impropriety or any offense whatsoever in Nigeria or elsewhere; and Our Client has never and will never engage in bribery or any other financial impropriety.
“It is hard to understand why our client’s name should feature in what seemed to be your attempt to address an issue regarding the decamping of lawmakers from your own political party due to their dissatisfaction with how the affairs of your party are being run.
“The irresistible conclusion to be drawn is that your statements were intended to expose our client to public ridicule and denigrate his well-preserved reputation in the eyes of members of the society generally.” the pre-action notice read in parts.
Governor Okpebholo through his lawyers lamented that since the publication of the said defamatory statement, he has been inundated with calls from friends, political associates and other well-meaning Nigerians locally and in diaspora inquiring as to the propriety of the allegations, thereby exposing him to great distress, hurt and humiliation, adding that he neither solicited nor possessed any prior knowledge of the lawmakers’ defection.
As a form of remedy, the legal team of Blessing Agbomhere and Partners urged the PDP Chieftains to procure the recording and publishing of a retraction of the defamatory statements made in relation to the Governor which should be published through the same platform that the defamatory statements were made and all social media platforms and issue a letter of apology to the governor, published in two dailies circulating in Edo State and the entire Nigeria within five days of the receipt of the notice or face legal action.
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