EXTRA: If I use 10m to fix interstate roads in Edo, I’ll claim 20m from FG, says Monday Okpebholo

Monday Okpebholo, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo, says he would repair interstate roads and claim double the amount from the federal government if elected.

The APC candidate is up against Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) among others, in the September 21 election.

Okpebholo spoke in a recent interview with BBC Pidgin.

He was responding to a question about the deplorable condition of some interstate roads in Edo and how the state government has not lifted a finger on them.

Okpebholo said the excuse that a road belongs to the federal government can only be given by an “unserious man”.

He added that Adams Oshiomhole, a former Edo governor, used state resources to repair federal roads.

“When Adams Oshiomhole was there (governor), he was using our own Edo state money for those roads (federal roads) for Edo people,” he said.

“I have seen several governors that have done that; they recouped their money.

“If I were him (Obaseki), if I put 10 million there (on federal roads), I will claim 20 million from the federal government.”

In July 2023, Obaseki’s convoy got stuck on a muddy section of the Benin-Sapele road.

Clips of the incident appeared on social media and elicited a pot-pourri of reactions.

Reacting to the incident, Obaseki said his administration cannot fix the Benin-Auchi, Benin-Sapele, and other federal roads because of the confusing position of the federal government on the rehabilitation of federal roads by states.

The governor said his administration has drawn the federal government’s attention to the deplorable state of such roads, noting that nothing has been done.