Edo PDP slams Okpebholo over Presco land revocation, says govt “has lost its compass”

BENIN CITY, November 27, 2025 — The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has issued a strongly worded statement condemning what it describes as a “tragedy of leadership” following the controversial revocation of Presco Plc’s land by Governor Monday Okpebholo and the government’s subsequent denial of the action.

In the statement signed by the PDP Publicity Secretary, Dan Osa-Ogbegie, Esq., the opposition party accused the state government of incompetence, confusion, and vindictive governance after a dramatic policy reversal that has unsettled investors and embarrassed the state.

The PDP said Edo State “has arrived at that moment when silence becomes betrayal,” noting that the events between November 21 and 27, 2025 amounted to an alarming display of “impulse, ignorance and knee-jerk governance.”

According to the party, Governor Okpebholo on 21 November 2025 signed a formal Notice of Revocation stripping Presco Plc of 13,545 hectares of land on the claim of “overriding public interest.” The revocation — bearing the Governor’s signature — was published nationwide by the Edo Geographic Information Service (EDOGIS).

However, following widespread outrage and investor anxiety, the government issued a “Special Announcement” on 27 November disowning the revocation and describing it as unauthorized. The EDOGIS Managing Director was subsequently dismissed.

“This is not just an embarrassment, it is a tragedy of leadership,” the PDP stated. “Edo people are witnessing a government that does not know what it signs, does not understand what it announces, and cannot defend what it authorises. This, apparently, is not governance. It is a circus. A dangerous circus.”

The PDP emphasized that Presco Plc — the state’s largest agro-industrial investor and a major employer — had been unfairly targeted in what it called a “reckless and vindictive gambit.”

The party questioned the rationale behind revoking land belonging to a 34-year-old investment with a strong national profile on the Nigerian Exchange.

“What public interest? Who authorised this madness? Who benefits?” the PDP asked, adding that Edo people deserved honest answers.

The statement outlined a “timeline of shame,” accusing the government of signing the revocation, directing its publication, triggering investor panic, and then panicking in response to public backlash.

According to the PDP: “The Governor signed the revocation, authorised its publication, EDOGIS obeyed the Governor’s directive, public outrage followed, and Okpebholo denied his own action and sacked the EDOGIS MD.”

“A Governor who signs today, denies tomorrow, and sacrifices subordinates next week,” the PDP said, “is a danger to stability and investment.”

The PDP questioned the government’s claim that the revocation was unauthorised.

“Was the Governor’s signature forged? If not, how can the same government deny an act executed by the Governor himself?” the statement queried.

The PDP added that if the Governor signed without reading, he was incompetent; if he read and denied, he was dishonest; and if he signed under manipulation, he was unfit for office.

“Any of the three is a catastrophe,” the party declared.

The PDP said the Presco incident fits a pattern of “erratic revocations, reckless pronouncements, impulsive policy summersaults and governance driven by emotion rather than intelligence.”

It alleged that the move may have been politically motivated, describing the Governor’s approach as “petty, provincial” and harmful to democracy and economic growth.

“A Governor who weaponises land administration against perceived opponents is a danger to democracy, jobs, stability and investment,” the statement added.

Demands and the Way Forward

The PDP called for:

A full inquiry into the Presco revocation, including forensic verification of the Governor’s signature.

Reinstatement of Presco’s rights and a public apology to Edo people and investors.

Reforms in land administration to prevent political abuse.

A public explanation for what it called the government’s “irrational behaviour.”

“Edo cannot be entrusted to a man who does not understand the power of his own pen,” Osa-Ogbegie said. “Edo cannot continue under a government that signs away its destiny carelessly and lies about it shamelessly.”

The PDP concluded that although this is “a sad moment in our history, Edo people will rise above the incompetence of one man.”