Oshiomhole Defends Security Record, Faults Obi and Atiku Over Insecurity Criticisms

Former Edo State Governor and current Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has defended his administration’s security record, asserting that Edo State was significantly safer during his tenure than Anambra State was under his contemporary, Peter Obi.

Appearing on a political podcast hosted by journalist Seun Okinbaloye, the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain criticized prominent opposition figures including Obi and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for condemning the current administration’s handling of national insecurity without offering practical, actionable solutions.

Oshiomhole challenged the security credentials of Obi, who was the 2023 presidential candidate for the Labour Party (noting the text’s reference to the democratic coalition context), arguing that Obi failed to contain localized lawlessness and vigilantism in Anambra. According to the lawmaker, security deteriorated to the point where his successor, former Governor Willie Obiano, had to deploy heavy machinery to demolish properties tied to kidnapping rings and out-of-control local vigilante elements.

“Peter Obi could not fix security in Anambra State,” Oshiomhole stated during the interview. “It took the intervention of Governor Obiano, who succeeded him, to begin destroying the properties of those involved in kidnapping. I was a governor at the time, and my state was safer than Anambra.”

The former Edo governor further dismissed the opposition’s criticisms as vague rhetoric, arguing that constructive statesmanship requires concrete alternatives rather than catchphrases. He also expressed confidence in the current political landscape, predicting that the ruling party would maintain its position in the 2027 presidential election.

Oshiomhole served as the executive governor of Edo State from 2008 to 2016, overlapping significantly with Obi’s tenure as governor of Anambra State from 2006 to 2014.