Oshiomhole: Edo's Security Better Than Anambra Under Obi

Former Edo State Governor and Senator for Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has claimed that security in Edo during his time was better than what Anambra had under former Governor Peter Obi.

Oshiomhole, a member of the All Progressives Congress, criticized opposition leaders like Obi and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. He said they were wrong to attack President Bola Tinubu’s approach to security in Nigeria without offering real solutions.

While speaking on the Mic On Podcast with Seun Okinbaloye, Oshiomhole pointed out that insecurity started when Atiku was vice president. He also said that Obi did not handle the issue of insecurity, especially concerning the Bakassi Boys vigilante group.

In a video shared on Sunday, Oshiomhole questioned Obi’s qualifications on security, saying that Obi could not manage the Bakassi Boys. Their actions, he claimed, led to a rise in kidnapping and chaos in Anambra.

“Go back to Anambra State and play back. What were the first major decisions that Governor Obiano took when he succeeded Peter Obi as governor?” Oshiomhole asked.

He remembered how Governor Willie Obiano used bulldozers to demolish properties connected to kidnappers and the Bakassi Boys. Oshiomhole stated these groups had “gotten out of control” during Obi's time.

Oshiomhole said, “Peter Obi could not fix security in Anambra State. It took the intervention of Governor Obiano, who took over from him, to begin to destroy the properties of those who he believed had used them for kidnapping… where wife kidnapped husband, husband kidnapped wife. It got to that level.

“I was a governor then; my state was safer than Anambra.”

Oshiomhole also questioned Obi’s ability to offer real answers to national issues. He said Obi’s comments like “do the right thing” were not enough.

“Everybody knows that things are not perfect, but a statesman must provide answers… We haven’t heard other than this buzzword, ‘do the right thing.’ What is the right thing? What is the left thing?” Oshiomhole asked.

He is confident that President Bola Tinubu will win the 2027 presidential election. He thinks Obi will not be able to get as many votes as he did in 2023.

Oshiomhole was governor of Edo State from 2008 to 2016, while Obi was the governor of Anambra State from 2006 to 2014.