VIDEO:Edo Governor Warns Peter Obi Against Unauthorized Visit to State. 

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has issued a stern warning to former presidential candidate Peter Obi, cautioning him against visiting the state without prior notification to his administration.

Speaking at a political gathering in Uromi, Esan North-East Local Government Area on Friday, Governor Okpebholo declared that Obi’s security could not be guaranteed if he entered Edo State unannounced.

“There’s a new sheriff in town,” Okpebholo said. “Peter Obi cannot come into Edo without telling me. If anything happens to him here, he will have himself to blame. I’m serious.”

The governor’s remarks appear to be in response to Obi’s earlier visit on July 7, during which the Labour Party leader donated ₦15 million to a nursing school in Benin City. The governor linked the visit to unrest that broke out shortly afterward, resulting in at least three reported deaths.

Okpebholo also questioned the origin of Obi’s personal wealth, despite the former Anambra governor’s public image of modesty.

“He claims to live simply, yet he goes around donating millions. Where is the money coming from?” the governor asked.

The remarks have sparked widespread backlash, with civil rights activists and political observers condemning them as undemocratic and unconstitutional. Former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, described the governor’s comments as an abuse of office.

“No governor has the authority to ban a Nigerian from visiting any part of the country,” Odinkalu said. “Peter Obi, like every Nigerian, has a constitutional right to move freely.”

The OBIdient Movement, a support group for Peter Obi, also condemned the statement, warning that any attempt to restrict Obi’s movements or harm him would not go unanswered.

“Nigeria belongs to all of us,” the group said in a statement. “No one, including Governor Okpebholo, can dictate who enters or leaves a state.”

As tensions rise, many are calling on the federal government and security agencies to intervene to ensure peace and protect the rights of all political actors.

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