Reported by Simon Daniel Yusuph l Journalist at Weng Global
Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo has threatened to arrest the contractor handling a section of the Benin-Abraka Road, accusing the company of abandoning the project despite receiving payment under the administration of former governor Godwin Obaseki.
Okpebholo made the statement on Friday, October 2, 2026, while addressing members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Orhionmwon and Uhunmwode Local Government Areas during his ongoing tour of the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to the governor, the road was divided between two contractors before his administration took office, with one contractor progressing on its assigned section while the other allegedly abandoned its portion.
Okpebholo Blames Abandoned Section for Hardship
The governor said his administration had been constrained in immediately intervening in the road project because of contractual arrangements inherited from the previous administration.
He alleged that the contractor responsible for one section had already received payment but subsequently stopped work.
“Following the agreement that was signed by Obaseki’s administration, that road construction project was paid for before I became governor,” Okpebholo said, according to a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Patrick Ebojele.
“Despite the payment by the previous administration, the contractor still abandoned the road, allowing motorists to suffer untold hardship passing through the road.”
Okpebholo said the project was awarded to two contractors and claimed that one had reached about 75 per cent completion on its assigned section.
He alleged that the other contractor had abandoned its section and had become responsible for some of the difficulties experienced by motorists using the route.
The governor’s allegations about the contractor’s relationship with former governor Godwin Obaseki are political claims made by Okpebholo and have not been independently established by Weng Global. No response from the contractor or Obaseki was identified in the reports reviewed for this story.
Governor Issues Arrest Threat
Okpebholo said he had previously avoided speaking publicly about the Benin-Abraka Road project but changed his position after hearing complaints during his visit to communities along the route.
“Those in the diaspora don’t know what is happening and for me as the governor, I never wanted to speak on the issue of this Benin-Abraka Road, but what I heard today has prompted me to speak on the issue. I am going to arrest that contractor,” he said.
The statement represents a threat of enforcement action by the governor, but the reports reviewed by Weng Global did not identify a specific criminal charge, arrest warrant or judicial proceeding against the contractor.
The legal basis and process through which such an arrest would be carried out were also not specified in the governor’s remarks as reported.
Edo Government Had Already Moved to Revoke Contract
The latest threat comes less than two weeks after the Edo State Government announced that it had approved the revocation and re-award of the contract for the failed section of the Benin-Abraka Road at Ikpe Waterside in Orhionmwon Local Government Area.
Deputy Governor Dennis Idahosa disclosed the decision on September 23 during a meeting with Okaigheles, youth leaders and residents from Ikpe Waterside and neighbouring communities who had protested the condition of the road.
According to reports, the protesters had erected barricades on the road before voluntarily dismantling them after receiving assurances from the deputy governor that the government would intervene.
Idahosa said the affected road had been divided into two sections and awarded to two contractors before the current administration assumed office on November 12, 2024.
He said one contractor had completed about 76 per cent of its assigned stretch, while the contractor responsible for the Ikpe Waterside section failed to deliver the project to the required standard.
The government subsequently said palliative works would be carried out on the worst sections while procurement for the re-award was completed.
Residents Had Protested Over Road Condition
The decision to revoke the contract followed complaints from communities along the Ikpe Waterside axis.
Residents and community leaders raised concerns about the condition of the road and its effect on motorists and surrounding communities.
During the September meeting, community spokesperson David Ehiarinmwian said the grievances extended beyond the road itself.
He also called for greater corporate social responsibility from oil and agricultural companies operating in the area and asked the government to review policies concerning the allocation of ancestral farmland to agricultural investors.
The deputy governor said those concerns would be examined by the state government.
Benin-Abraka Road’s Wider Importance
The Benin-Abraka Road is an important transportation route linking communities in Edo State with areas towards Delta State.
For residents and motorists who depend on the route, prolonged deterioration can affect transportation, movement of agricultural goods, access to businesses and other daily activities.
The recent dispute also demonstrates how inherited infrastructure contracts can create challenges for succeeding administrations.
Okpebholo’s administration has repeatedly said it inherited infrastructure projects requiring intervention, while officials of the current government have sought to distinguish their road construction programme from projects awarded under the previous administration.
Such claims remain part of the political debate over infrastructure management in Edo State and should be assessed against contractual documents, payment records, project completion reports and independent inspections.
Government Budget Records Show Road Investment
Edo State’s approved 2026 budget also contains road-related allocations in Orhionmwon Local Government Area.
The budget document lists a project described as Benin/Abraka–Urhehue–Umogun-Nokhua–Orogbo–Eboborokun Road under the state’s roads and bridges expenditure category. The document records previous expenditure and budget figures associated with the project, although it does not by itself establish the status of the specific contractor at the centre of Okpebholo’s latest statement.
This distinction is important because budgetary allocation, contractual payment and physical completion are separate issues.
A project may have funding attached to it without that necessarily establishing that the contracted work was completed or that a contractor complied with the terms of an agreement.
Questions Over Contractor Accountability
The governor’s threat to arrest the contractor has shifted attention from the condition of the road to questions about accountability for public infrastructure contracts.
Key issues include whether payments were made as alleged, what obligations were contained in the contract, whether the contractor formally defaulted, whether the contract has now been legally revoked and what procedures will govern any further enforcement action.
The state government has already announced the revocation and planned re-award of the affected section, meaning the immediate infrastructure priority is to restore access and resume construction.
Any criminal or civil action against a contractor, however, would require the relevant legal and administrative processes.
Weng Global has not independently established the governor’s allegation that the contractor abandoned the project after receiving payment, beyond reporting the claim as made by the governor.
Political Context
Okpebholo’s latest remarks came during a political tour involving APC members in Orhionmwon and Uhunmwode ahead of the 2027 elections.
The governor was accompanied by APC leaders and senior government officials during the visits.
Edo APC Chairman Jarrett Tenebe also addressed party members and urged continued support for the party.
The political setting is relevant to the timing of the governor’s comments, but the road project itself concerns a public infrastructure issue affecting residents and road users regardless of political affiliation.
The allegations concerning the previous administration and the contractor should therefore be distinguished from independently verifiable facts about the project’s contracts, payments, construction progress and current government decisions.
What Happens Next
The Edo State Government has already announced plans to revoke and re-award the failed section of the Benin-Abraka Road.
The government also said palliative work would be undertaken on the worst sections while the procurement process for the new contract was being completed.
The next developments to watch include the completion of the re-award process, the identity of the new contractor, commencement of rehabilitation work and the government’s response to continued complaints from communities along the road.
It also remains to be seen whether Okpebholo’s stated intention to arrest the contractor will result in formal legal or law-enforcement action.
Any such action would need to be supported by an identifiable legal basis and should be reported separately from the governor’s allegation.
For motorists and residents, the central issue remains whether the road will receive sustained rehabilitation and whether the replacement contractor will deliver the affected section to the required standard.
Why It Matters
The Benin-Abraka Road dispute illustrates the broader challenge of managing public infrastructure projects that cross political administrations.
For residents, the immediate concern is not the political history of the contract but the practical condition of the road and the effect of delays on transportation and economic activity.
For government, the controversy raises questions about contract supervision, public expenditure, project monitoring and accountability.
The announced revocation and re-award provide a mechanism for restarting the failed section, while the governor’s latest statement adds a possible accountability dimension to the dispute.
The outcome will ultimately depend on the implementation of the government’s rehabilitation plan and any formal action taken concerning the contractor.
Weng Global — Stories beyond borders
Sources
- Punch Newspapers — reporting on Governor Monday Okpebholo’s October 2, 2026 statement.
- Edo State Government — 2026 Approved Budget Estimates.
- Punch Newspapers — reporting on the September 2026 revocation and re-award of the Benin-Abraka Road contract.
- Nigeria Info FM — report on the Edo Government’s decision to revoke and re-award the failed road section.
