Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo has threatened to arrest the contractor handling a failed section of the Benin-Abraka Road for allegedly abandoning the project after receiving payment from the immediate past administration, declaring that he would no longer stand by while motorists endure hardship on a road that was already paid for. The governor made the threat on Friday, October 2, 2026, while speaking to members of the All Progressives Congress in Orhionmwon and Uhunmwode Local Government Areas during his ongoing tour to strengthen the party ahead of the 2027 general elections, according to a statement issued on Saturday by his Chief Press Secretary, Patrick Ebojele.
Okpebholo said the road was awarded to two contractors under the previous administration led by Godwin Obaseki, with one of them currently making progress on its section, which he said was about 75 per cent complete. According to him, the second contractor, whom he alleged was a friend of Obaseki, had abandoned the section assigned to the company despite receiving payment. "Following the agreement that was signed by Obaseki's administration, that road construction project was paid for before I became governor," Okpebholo said. "Despite the payment by the previous administration, the contractor still abandoned the road, allowing motorists to suffer untold hardship passing through the road." He added, "That road was given to two contractors. One of them is working and is doing his job and has gotten up to 75 per cent completion, while the other, who is a friend to Obaseki, has abandoned his section and has become the problem causing hardship on the road."
The governor said he had previously avoided commenting publicly on the project but was compelled to address the matter after hearing complaints from residents during his visit. "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 threat marks an escalation in the Okpebholo administration's posture towards contractors who fail to deliver on inherited projects, and it signals a willingness to deploy the coercive powers of the state to enforce accountability in public procurement.
The controversy over the Benin-Abraka Road has been building for months. On September 23, 2026, the Edo State Government announced that Okpebholo had approved the revocation and re-award of the contract for the failed section of the road at Ikpe Waterside in Orhionmwon Local Government Area. The Deputy Governor, Dennis Idahosa, disclosed this during a meeting with community leaders, youth leaders and residents from Ikpe Waterside and adjoining communities who had protested the deplorable condition of the road. Following assurances by Idahosa that the government would intervene, the protesters voluntarily dismantled barricades they had erected along the road, allowing motorists to pass. Idahosa said the decision to revoke and re-award the contract was part of the administration's efforts to address critical infrastructure challenges inherited from the previous government. He disclosed that the affected road was divided into two sections and awarded to two contractors before the present administration assumed office on November 12, 2024, and that while one contractor had completed about 76 per cent of its assigned stretch, the contractor handling the Ikpe Waterside section had failed to deliver the project to the required standard. He assured the communities that palliative works would commence on the worst portions of the road while the procurement process for the re-award of the contract was concluded.
The governor's latest intervention came during a political tour that also took him to Iguomo-Nisi in Uhunmwode Local Government Area, where he interacted with party members and mobilised support for APC candidates ahead of the 2027 elections. The Edo APC Chairman, Jarrett Tenebe, who accompanied the governor, commended party members for turning out in large numbers and urged them to continue supporting the governor and the party. Tenebe called on party members to work towards delivering the 2.5 million votes that the APC in Edo has promised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the January 2027 presidential election, a target that the state party leadership has consistently described as achievable despite scepticism from opposition figures.
The Benin-Abraka Road is a critical artery connecting Edo State to Delta State and the wider South-South region, and its condition has been a source of persistent frustration for commuters, traders and transport operators. The road's deterioration has been compounded by the broader challenges facing Nigeria's federal road network, including inadequate funding, poor maintenance and the impact of heavy rainfall and flooding. The Okpebholo administration has sought to position itself as a government willing to intervene on federal roads within the state, a posture that has drawn praise from the Minister of Works, David Umahi, who commended the governor for his interventions in lots of federal roads across Edo State.
The threat to arrest the contractor raises questions about the legal and contractual complexities involved in inherited projects. Government contracts typically include performance bonds, advance payment guarantees and termination clauses that provide remedies for non-performance, and the decision to pursue criminal sanctions rather than civil remedies represents a significant escalation. The contractor has not been publicly identified, and it remains unclear whether the government has formally terminated the contract, initiated legal proceedings or referred the matter to anti-corruption agencies. The governor's statement, made during a political rally rather than a formal policy address, may be intended as much to signal resolve to voters as to initiate a legal process. The contractor has not issued a response to the threat, and the Edo State Government has not disclosed whether formal steps have been taken to effect the arrest.
For the residents of Orhionmwon and Uhunmwode, the governor's intervention offers a measure of hope that the road they depend on will finally receive the attention it requires. For the Okpebholo administration, the episode is an opportunity to demonstrate that it will not allow contractors to treat public funds as gifts and public projects as optional. For the contractor facing the threat of arrest, the coming weeks will determine whether the governor's words translate into legal action or remain a political statement. The broader question is whether the threat of arrest, however dramatic, will produce the road that motorists have been waiting for, or whether it will become another chapter in the long history of abandoned projects and unfulfilled promises that have defined infrastructure delivery in Nigeria. As Okpebholo put it, one contractor is working, and the other has become the problem. The governor has promised to act. The road remains unfinished.
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