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The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has berated Governor Monday Okpebholo over his assertions on the ongoing reconstruction of the Benin-Asaba Expressway.
Speaking via a statement issued on Saturday by its Publicity Secretary, Chris Nehikhare, the PDP said the governor’s claim of initiating the project distorts established public records.
The party insisted that the project was neither conceived nor initiated by the current administration, rather, it was a product of former Governor Godwin Obaseki.
Nehikhare specifically faulted a recent statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, which credited the project to President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He dismissed the attribution as “political propaganda” and “a deliberate misrepresentation of the facts”.
“The expressway project was neither conceived nor initiated by the current administration, rather, it was a product of the strategic vision of former Governor Godwin Obaseki, executed through a public-private partnership arrangement,” Nehikhare said.
He revealed that in January 2024, the Obaseki administration signed a ₦228 billion concession agreement with Triple A Infrastructure, InfraCorp, and Africa Plus Partners to undertake the redevelopment of the Benin-Asaba Expressway. According to Nehikhare, the agreement was part of the Federal Government’s Highway Development and Management Initiative and followed all statutory approval processes and regulatory standards.
He described the initiative as a forward-thinking infrastructure renewal programme aimed at stimulating long-term economic development and improving connectivity within the region.
Nehikhare also alleged that the project’s execution was strategically delayed by the APC-led Federal Government for political reasons, particularly to coincide with the buildup to the 2024 Edo gubernatorial election.
Describing Governor Okpebholo’s recent inspection tours of the site as mere political theatrics, the PDP said such visits have had no substantive impact on the project’s delivery or financing.
“The people of Edo State are politically sophisticated and will not be misled by empty publicity stunts or attempts to rewrite history,” Nehikhare stated.
The post PDP Slams Gov Okpebholo Over Benin-Asaba Road Claims appeared first on Naija News.
