By Ehichioya Ezomon
The unrelenting tribal slur against Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo can be likened to a case of calling a dog a bad name to hang it. It’s the handiwork of the opposition, under the cover of politcs, to resurrect an age-long “power struggle,” or better put “power play,” between the Bini (Benin) of Edo South and the Esan of Edo Central of the state. Power struggle assumes that the Bini and Esan are evenly or similarly matched in population, land mass, resources endowment and overall human and capital development.
Undoubtedly, the Benin Kingdom of today, with seven local government areas – and serving as the traditional and cultural headquarters under the revered Royal Majesty of the Oba of Benin; a melting port of people and commerce; and the political and administrative seat of the Government of Edo State – outmatches Esanland of five local governments in the thematic areas listed above.
As regards power play, the Bini want to rub in that they’re the progenitors of Edo (Bini) from where the Esan and other tribes migrated to Edo Central and Edo North, and a large swathe of Delta State, and should dictate the political and economic affairs in Edo State. In other words, the Bini are the “number one” and they hold themselves up as “superior” to other tribes in Edo, Delta and elsewhere, and are placed in a position to determine the quantity of the yam available for sharing and to whomever.
The Esan – decisively described in the Bini language as “rebellious” and “escapees into the bush” – detest the underlying “second class” or even “third class” (if you factored in the population and traditional setting of Edo North) citizen tag they’ve been subjected to over the ages, and demand the rotation of holding of the proverbial “knife and yam” for equitable sharing to all parts of Edo State.
This is the crux of the matter in Edo politics, the coming of Governor Okpebholo, and the ongoing oppo attacks on his person and government that’s barely one-year-old in office. How can the opposition criticism stick if not emotively laced with a dose of nepotism, tribalism and marginalisation of the Bini of Edo South, to whip up sentiments against Okpebholo and his administration?
Those beating the tribal and marginalisation drums never wanted an Esan as Governor via the September 21, 2024, election that enthroned Okpebholo at the Dennis Osadebey Avenue Government House in Benin City, the Edo capital city. They wanted outgoing Bini man, Governor Godwin Obaseki, to hand over power to a Bini for another eight years for unbroken 16 years in the saddle by Edo South.
Not even former Governor and Senator representing Edo North in the National Assembly (NASS), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, wanted an Esan as Governor in this dispensation that ends in 2028. He preferred a Bini man and “anointed” Hon. Dennis Idahosa (Ovia Federal Constituency) for the position.
In a controversial two-legged primary, Okpebholo beat Idahosa to the second position for the governorship contest. And primary over, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, quickly resolved the issues therefrom, and Okpebholo and Idahosa were paired for the governorship, which they won decisively.
It’s appropriate to put on record that in spite of himself, former Governor Obaseki chose to support the agitation of the Esan people to produce the Governor for Edo State in 2024. The choice maybe read in some quarters as not altruistic for the sake of equity and fairness, but for self-interest, as Obaseki’s “anointed” candidate, an Esan Lagos-based lawyer and business tycoon, Dr Asue Ighodalo, is his friend, and business and political associate.
The election could’ve gone the other way – to Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and every true and bona-fide Esan would be happy and embrace the mandate. For the fact that Obaseki’s able to bell the cat of “marginalisation” of the Esan in the political scheme of Edo State, he deserves praises and accolades from Esan people, home and abroad!
The battle isn’t won yet nor the war over. It rages, as the purveyors of “marginalisation of Benin” have resurfaced with renewed vehemence and armaments, locked and loaded, and firing at Governor Okpebholo over alleged shortchanging of Edo South in political and “juicy” appointments, and siting of and executing infrastructural projects across the state.
Apart from the Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr Fred Itua, now replaced with Dr Patrick Ebojele (both of Edo Central), who Governor Okpebholo announced before his inaugural on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, the first major appointments he made a few hours after his swearing in were: Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Barr. Musa Ikhilor (Edo Central); Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Samson Osagie (Edo South), replaced with Prof. Roland Otaru (Edo North) instead of another Edo South indigene; and Commissioner for Health, Dr Cyril Adams-Oshiomhole (Edo North) – with the three appointments favouring the senatorial districts.
Without listing the senatorial districts, local government areas, towns and/or communities of their origin – which indigenes of Edo can identify and locate where they hail from in the state – other appointments Okpebholo’s made into his cabinet are as follows (courtesy @grok on X/Twitter) January 2, 2026):
Dr Emmanuel Iyamu, Commissioner for Education; Felix Akhabue (Works); Andrew Ijegbai (Mining); Prince Kassim Afegbua (Information); Paul Ohonbamu (Local Government); Omoh Anabor (Business); Dr Jerry Uwangue (Agriculture); Prof. Omorodion Ikponwosa (Livestock): Nosa Adams (Environment); Dr Lucky Eseigbe (Planning); Hon. Yakubu Musa (Lands); and Ohimai Ehijimetor (Communications).
The rest are: Hon. Etin-Osa Ogbeiwi (Science & Technology); Dr Washington Osa Osifo (Water & Energy); Hon. Charity Amayaenvbo (Youth); Eugenia Abdallah (Women Affairs); Marie Idaomi (Humanitarian Affairs); Usenbo Ehigie (Power); Vincent Uwadiae (Oil/Gas); Emmanuel Okoebor (Finance); Dr Elizabeth Ebosele (Budget); Saturday Idehen (Transportation); Godwin Eshieshi (Labour); Kenneth Ihensekhien (Special Duties); and Ebea Odianosen (Security).
Governor Okpebholo should, however, note that agitation for equity, and against marginalisation in appointments doesn’t stop at the wider senatorial districts, but permeates the subgroups (in the case of Edo North with three major groups of Afemai, Owan and Akoko) and local governments, towns and communities. For instance, critics accuse Okpebholo of following in the old footsteps of Sen. Oshiomhole, who reportedly “cornered” every appointments, federal and state, to the Afemai subgroup, neglecting the Owan and Akoko subgroups.
Okpebholo’s alleged to take major decisions, such as appointments and siting of projects, “only with the approval of Oshiomhole, his ‘godfather’,” with critics citing the governor’s “hurried” appointment of Oshiomhole’s son as Commissioner for Health. This is an unsustainable argument, as Oshiomhole, as noted above, and in the first instalment of this copy of December 29, 2025, never wanted Okpebholo as Governor, and couldn’t have been his political godfather in that regard.
Naturally as a former governor, “leader” of the APC in Edo State, an ex-National Chairman of the party, and a fellow “Distinguished Senator,” who campaigned vigorously for Okpebholo to secure victory in the September 2024 poll, Oshiomhole can have some influence on the governor, but not to the extent of becoming the clearing house for the major decisions of his government!
This propagation is part of re-litigation of the past election in the public domain, to open up Okpebholo and his administration to further castigation and labelling as a “do-nothing, tribal governor bent on marginalising and holding down Edo South” for other senatorial districts.
LAST LINE: Is Governor Okpebholo, as alleged, concentrating projects in Edo Central, and particularly in Esan Central local government area, and in his community axis of the council, while sideling other councils, towns and communities of the district? The next installment may reveal the true position!
• _Mr Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.
