In the build-up to the 2024 Edo gubernatorial election, the Niger-Delta Renaissance Network has faulted the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, over a video he posted showing a flooded portion of the Government Reserved Area (GRA) in Benin City.
The group said the video is a “serious indictment” on the previous APC-led administration under former governor Adams Oshiomhole, who had borrowed money from the World Bank to execute a storm water project in the GRA Area, but failed to complete it.
In a statement, the group’s spokesman, Senior Comrade Gabriel Aniete, said the APC candidate, Okpebholo, should have known better about the history of the failed project before making the video.
Aniete stated that the flooding in the GRA area was a direct result of the unfinished storm water project for which the previous administration had budgeted N30 billion.
“It is sad and embarrassing that a man who wants to govern Edo couldn’t even do his due diligence in understanding the facts about the said road in GRA,” Aniete said.
The group also alleged that Oshiomhole was “furious” with Okpebholo for the video, which had “backfired” on the APC. Aniete claimed that the party had placed a ban on unscheduled public appearances by Okpebholo and his team, a move the group found not really comfortable with.
The Niger-Delta Renaissance Network called for a probe into the failed storm water project, stating that those responsible must be held accountable to serve as a deterrent to others in power.
The group also urged all gubernatorial candidates to participate in debates to allow them to present their plans for the people of Edo State.
