The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Friday faulted an attempt by the state government to claim credit for the ongoing reconstruction of the Benin-Asaba Federal Highway ostensibly under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’, asserting that the project was “initiated, structured, and finalized” under the immediate past PDP-led administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
The PDP accused the federal government of deliberately stalling the progress of the project which it says falls under its Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI) until it had successfully “installed” its preferred government in the state.
Newsmata.com.ng reports that Governor Monday Okpebholo had on Wednesday July 30, 2025, during an inspection tour, hailed the project as “a cornerstone” of President Tinubu’s vision and expressed the federal government’s commitment to delivering on its promises.
According to the governor, “Well, this is part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President. He is taking this road straight to Asaba. It is going to be 10 lanes. Five on one side, five on the other side.
“Remember when this road was flagged off a few months ago, the Minister for Works was here. The Minister for Finance was also here. And I was here. This is the fruit of that flag-off. And this is the demonstration of Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Agenda for our people.”
Briefing the governor on progress of work, Mr. K. V. Rao, Project Director for Africa Plus Partners and the Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company Limited, said about 20 kilometres of the dual-carriage 10 lane expressway, were projected to be completed before the Christmas of 2025.
But reacting to the development in a statement on Friday titled “Putting the Record Straight on the Benin-Asaba Expressway Reconstruction Project”, Chris Osa Nehikhare, Publicity Secretary, Edo PDP Caretaker Committee, said it is not only “dishonest and laughable, but a gross insult to the intelligence of the people of Edo State”.
The statement reads: “When a government’s achievements exist only in press statements, it inevitably resorts to propaganda, half-truths, and outright falsehoods to cover its glaring failures. This is precisely the case with the Senator Monday Okpebholo-led administration, whose only visible milestone after nine months at the Dennis Osadebey Avenue remains a string of disjointed press briefings and photo ops — all designed to create a false impression of progress.
“The latest attempt by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Okpebholo to claim credit for the ongoing reconstruction of the Benin-Asaba Expressway, describing it as a product of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, is not only dishonest and laughable, but a gross insult to the intelligence of the people of Edo State.
“It has become necessary to set the record straight and expose this blatant distortion of facts by the APC-led government in Edo State.
“Contrary to the propaganda being churned out by the Okpebholo administration, the Benin-Asaba Expressway reconstruction project was initiated, structured, and finalized under the immediate past PDP-led administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki.
“In January 2024, Governor Obaseki signed a landmark N228 billion concession agreement with Triple A Infrastructure Nigeria Limited, InfraCorp, and Africa Plus Partners for the comprehensive redevelopment of the expressway. The project falls under the Federal Government’s Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI).
“This was not just another government contract — it was a well-thought-out Public-Private Partnership (PPP), anchored on a solid funding and implementation framework aimed at reducing pressure on public finances while unlocking long-term economic gains for Edo and Nigeria at large.
“Only a leader with vision, capacity, and competence — like Obaseki — could conceptualize and midwife such a project. It is therefore shameful for a government that had no role in its conception to now desperately seek to appropriate the glory.
“The strategic importance of the Benin-Asaba Expressway — linking the South-West, South-South, and South-East corridors — cannot be overstated. While the Federal Government provided regulatory approvals (as is required for federal roads), it stalled the project’s progress until it had successfully installed its preferred government in Edo State. This political maneuvering, at the expense of timely infrastructure delivery, speaks volumes of APC’s priorities.
“Governor Okpebholo’s staged inspection tours and photo ops do not translate into actual work. It is baffling — but not surprising — that he would rather claim ownership of a project far beyond his conceptual and administrative capabilities than initiate any of his own.
We understand his dilemma: there are masters to please and people to deceive. But Edo people are wiser.
“We urge Governor Okpebholo to focus on delivering quality, impactful, and people-oriented projects — not chasing shadows or basking in borrowed achievements”.