Okpebholo’s Eight-Month Delay In Forming Full Cabinet Draws Backlash
On July 12, 2025, exactly eight months after Monday Okpebholo was sworn in as the Governor of Edo State, he appointed only a few commissioners, a situation many state residents have described as shocking and unfortunate.
He took the oath of office on November 12, 2024.
Analysts are worried that instead of the governor kicking off running and championing a different course of governance, he chose to follow the footsteps of his predecessor, Godwin Obaseki, as well as the immediate past president of the country, late Muhammad Buhari, who it took almost a year to constitute their respective cabinets.
During the second term of Obaseki, the All Progressives Congress, in loud voices criticized him for the delay in the appointment of commissioners.
From three months of his administration to six and nine months, the party was critical of the administration.
One would have expected that, based on the party’s critics, the Governor Monday Okpebholo-led government, on assumption of office, would do things differently.
Enahoro Iyemefokhai, writes that stakeholders in the Edo politics and government have come out to express their displeasure with the development.
Senator Monday Okpebholo was sworn in after he was declared the winner of the September 21, 2024, Governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
INEC declared Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress, APC candidate, the winner of the election with 291,667 votes to defeat his closest opponent, Asue Ighodalo of PDP, who polled 247,274 votes.
Residents, who spoke to newsmen, said the governor should have emulated his Kogi State counterpart, Ahmed Usman Ododo, who wasted no time on the assumption of office on January 27, 2025, and constituted a cabinet, with the swearing-in of 19 commissioners on January 31, 2024.
The residents, including Comrade Tony Erha, Leftist Agho Omobude, human rights activists, Mr Johnbull Osagie, and Eric Obi, both retirees, also urged the governor to do the needful by constituting the full State Executive Council.
They also urged Governor Okpebholo to emulate the Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who was sworn in on February 24, 2025, and has since constituted a 16-member Executive Council on July 14, 2025.
Since the assumption of office, Governor Okpebholo has only appointed about six commissioners.
The commissioners are Dr Paddy Iyamu, Education; Dr Cyril Oshiomhole, Health; Dr Samson Osagie, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice; Dr Washington Osifo, Water Resources and Energy; Bisi Idaomi, Women Affairs and Social Development; Hon Paul Ohonbamu, Information and Communication.
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Others are Lucky Eseigbe, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Andrew Ijegbai, Mining, Oil and Gas, and Emmanuel Ehidiamen Okoebor, Finance
The respondents, who spoke in an interview opined that the delay in the appointment of commissioners negatively impacts the governance of the state, especially the critical sectors like the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Road and Commerce and Industry, Environment, among others.
Leftist Omobude, the Coordinator General, Edo Civil Society Organisations, EDOCSO, posited that the non-constitution of the full executive council by Governor Monday Okpebholo after eight months of swearing-in was surprising and shocking to him and other well-meaning Edo citizens and residents.
