Okpebholo demands apology over PDP chieftains’ defamatory remarks
By Ukpono Ukpong
Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has given two chieftains of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) a five-day ultimatum to issue an unreserved apology over what he described as defamatory remarks made against him.
The governor threatened legal action if the apology was not rendered within the stipulated time.
The two PDP chieftains, the Edo State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chris Osa Nehikhare, and Shedrach Udugbai, were accused of making false allegations against Okpebholo in a press release and a television interview.
The governor’s legal team described their statements as damaging to his reputation and demanded an immediate retraction.
Nehikhare allegedly made the defamatory claims in a press release issued on March 19, 2025, titled “Edo’s PDP condemns
Okpebholo’s N200m bribery ploy to buy defection of each Assembly member…reckless misappropriation of state resources.”
He also accused Okpebholo of offering N2 million to each councillor from Edo’s 18 local government areas to decamp to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Similarly, Udugbai was accused of defaming the governor during a television appearance on This Morning on ITV on March 13, 2025. During the program, he alleged that Okpebholo had bribed three PDP lawmakers in the Edo State House of Assembly with N200 million each to defect to the APC.
A pre-action notice issued by Okpebholo’s legal team, Blessing Agbomhere and Partners, described the statements as false and malicious. “The defamatory comments could be construed to mean that the governor is a dishonorable man who engages in bribery and corruption and deals callously with the common wealth of Edo State,” the notice stated.
The legal representatives further stated that the remarks suggested Okpebholo was a “dishonest man who can only have things done through bribery and corrupt practices” and a “dishonest person incapable of managing the affairs of Edo State and/or holding any public office.”
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The legal team lamented that the allegations had been widely shared on social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, amplifying their impact. They maintained that the statements were a deliberate attempt to tarnish the governor’s reputation.
“Governor Okpebholo has been adjudged by all well-meaning Edo indigenes and Nigerians in general as one of the few state governors who is doing excellently well and managing the state funds prudently,” the legal team stated. They emphasized that he had served as a distinguished senator before becoming governor and had never been linked to any financial misconduct.
“Our client has not been arrested, charged, or convicted for financial impropriety or any offense whatsoever in Nigeria or elsewhere; and our client has never and will never engage in bribery or any other financial impropriety,” the pre-action notice read in part.
Okpebholo’s lawyers argued that the accusations were politically motivated. “It is hard to understand why our client’s name should feature in what seemed to be your attempt to address an issue regarding the decamping of lawmakers from your own political party due to their dissatisfaction with how the affairs of your party are being run.”
The governor also claimed that the allegations had caused him distress, as he had been inundated with calls from friends, political associates, and Nigerians both locally and abroad, seeking clarification.
As a remedy, the legal team demanded that the PDP chieftains publicly retract their statements using the same platforms where the allegations were made.
“They must also publish a letter of apology in two widely circulated Nigerian newspapers.
“Failure to meet these demands within five days of receiving the notice, the legal team warned, would result in legal action against the PDP chieftains.”
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