The Edo State chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Emperor Jarrett Tenebe has responded to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) latest accusation that the State government has spent a whopping sum of N3.51bn on travels in the last eight months.
Tenebe in a statement stated that the PDP’s accusation has once again exposed their poor and lack of understanding of broader key economic indicators, saying that this has reflected in their negative impact on Edo State people throughout their eight years administration.
According to Tenebe, “For the records, the APC administration led by His Excellency Senator Monday Okpebholo has demonstrated financial prudence since taking over from the PDP abstracted-MOU ‘419’ government on November 12, 2024.
“Accusing the present administration of wasting ₦3.51bn on imaginable ‘travels’, when the governor has not embarked on any foreign trip since November 12, 2024, shows that the half a dozen PDP renegades are obviously suffering from an acute form of hallucination which is associated with neurological disorders, due to the effects of overdose of substances and post election defeat syndrome.
“Our party, the APC wishes to place on record that Senator Okpebholo is a grassroots leader who is interested in finding home grown solutions to reposition the various sectors for measurable growth in the shortest possible time.
“We therefore call on Edo people and friends of the state to ignore the unfounded accusations.
“The APC government in Edo State is only interested in all round development of the 18 local government areas in line with global best practices.
“Governor Okpebholo will not continue in the habit of siphoning the state’s resources through fictitious globe trotting as was witnessed in the last PDP administration”, Tenebe said.
The State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had accused the state Government of recklessly spending the sum of ₦3.51 Billion on Travel Spree within its eight months in office.
The PDP in a statement by Chris Osa Nehikhare, Publicity Secretary, Edo State Caretaker Committee had stated that the party is outraged by the revelation that the Senator Monday Okpebholo-led administration squandered an alarming ₦3.51 billion on travel in just the first half of 2025.
“This waste comes at a time when the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Capital Importation Report confirms that Edo State failed to attract a single kobo in foreign investment — while states like Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Kaduna, Kano, and even Ekiti made the list. The contrast is both embarrassing and telling: other states are opening their doors to capital, Edo’s leaders are opening their wallets for endless trips.
“This reckless expenditure is an insult to the good people of Edo State who continue to endure poor roads, inadequate healthcare facilities, decaying schools, delays in salary payments and epileptic power supply.
“It is unacceptable that while other states are working to attract investment, Edo’s leadership is squandering scarce resources on trips that yield no tangible benefits.
“Governance is not a jamboree. Leadership demands prudence, vision, and a commitment to prioritizing the needs of the people over frivolous indulgences.
“Edo State deserves a government focused on creating jobs, improving infrastructure, and enhancing the quality of life of its citizens — not one obsessed with globetrotting at public expense.
“We call on the state government to immediately halt this wasteful spending, publish details of these trips, and redirect such funds in the future to address the massive infrastructure deficit across the state.
“Edo people deserve accountability, not extravagance.We demand results, not receipts”, Nehikhare declared.