Edo Government Moves to Reclaim Assets, Blasts Obaseki Over Judges’ Snub

Governor Monday Okpebholo vowed to recover Edo State Government assets allegedly sold or illegally acquired by the Obaseki-led administration.
Okpebholo criticised Obaseki’s refusal to swear in three judges in 2024, calling it a major setback for judicial independence.
The government pledged to strengthen the justice system and enhance public healthcare delivery across Edo State.
Deputy Governor Dennis Idahosa confirmed the recovery of the Edo Specialist Hospital.

The Edo State Government has vowed to recover all public properties and assets allegedly misappropriated or sold by the immediate past administration of Godwin Obaseki.

Governor Monday Okpebholo, speaking while receiving members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Benin City Branch, at the Government House, described Obaseki’s decision to withhold the swearing-in of three qualified judges as a grave injustice to the state’s judiciary.

According to Okpebholo, the former governor’s refusal to swear in the three judges recommended by the National Judicial Council (NJC) in 2023 was “a slap on the face of the judiciary.”

He recalled that Obaseki had only sworn in five out of the eight judges recommended in May 2024. Upon assuming office in November 2024, Okpebholo fulfilled his promise by swearing in Justices Ojo Osa, Okundamiya Jeff, and Edoghogho Eboigbe on December 2, 2024.

Reiterating his administration’s stance, Okpebholo said the era of disregard for judicial processes and unlawful asset diversion was over. He pledged to promote judicial independence and deepen collaboration between the executive and the Bar for efficient justice delivery.

In a related development, Deputy Governor Dennis Idahosa also announced that the government had reclaimed the Edo Specialist Hospital (ESH), which had been previously diverted to private hands.

Idahosa, who received the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Dr. Anthonia Njoku, and her management team, commended them for their dedication to improving the state’s public healthcare system and expanding services to secure accreditation from the West African College of Physicians.

“I must thank Governor Okpebholo for swiftly reclaiming properties belonging to the Edo State Government that were diverted to private entities. The Edo Specialist Hospital is now back where it belongs, serving the people,” Idahosa said.

He praised Dr. Njoku’s leadership as “purposeful and transformational,” describing the hospital’s revival as a key milestone in rebuilding public confidence in the healthcare sector.

The CMD, in turn, expressed gratitude to the state government for its support, calling the administration’s interventions “timely and people-oriented.”