Edo Presco land dispute erupts after government revokes and reverses land notice within 24 hours, sparking PDP criticism and official rebuttals
Benin City, 23 November 2023 — The Edo State Government and the Peoples Democratic Party traded accusations on Thursday after Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration revoked Presco Plc’s statutory right of occupancy before reversing the decision within 24 hours.
Also read: Sule Lamido Issues 10-Day Ultimatum to PDP Leadership
The controversy began with an advertorial published on Wednesday in two national newspapers and signed by Governor Okpebholo, announcing the revocation of a parcel of land belonging to Presco Plc in Ologbo, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area.
However, a second advertorial appeared on Thursday, this time signed by Secretary to the State Government Umar Ikhilor, disowning the earlier publication. Ikhilor said the notice did not originate from the governor or any authorised arm of the administration.
He further alleged that the immediate past Managing Director of Edo State Geographic Information Service acted unilaterally and disregarded proper procedures, including the actual number of hectares intended for excision.
At the time of the initial publication, the EDOGIS Managing Director remained an appointee of Governor Okpebholo.
Reacting to the episode, PDP State Publicity Secretary Dan Osa-Ogbegie described the situation as shameful, accusing the administration of confusion and incompetence.
He said Edo people were witnessing a government “that does not know what it signs, it does not understand what it announces, and cannot defend what it authorises.” He added that Presco Plc, the state’s largest agro-industrial employer, deserved clarity rather than what he called a contradictory drama.
The government countered the criticism through Commissioner for Information and Strategy Kassim Afegbua, who accused the PDP of crying more than the bereaved.
He acknowledged an initial mix-up but insisted that the Secretary to the State Government had already provided a constitutional explanation regarding land in oil mineral areas.
Afegbua said the clarification should have sufficed for “any reasonable and rational mind,” adding that the PDP was trivialising the matter. In a pointed remark, he said the party had become a source of comic relief whenever the government wished to unwind.
Also read: PDP Convention Sparks Legal Chaos and Factional Violence
The exchange deepens ongoing political tensions in Edo State, where disputes over land rights and administrative procedures continue to shape public debate.
