Edo APC and the Forgotten People: 365 Wasted Days on the Benin–Sapele Road

It’s been one full year since the All Progressives Congress (APC) took over the reins of power in Edo State — a year filled with promises, slogans, and nothing tangible to show. The most painful symbol of this neglect is the Benin–Sapele Road, a vital link between Edo, Delta, and other parts of the South-South, now reduced to a death trap.

Governor Godwin Obaseki had long sounded the alarm about the economic and human toll of the road’s collapse. He even brought the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, to see the devastation firsthand. But instead of decisive action, the people got politics, mockery, and empty rhetoric. During the 2024 elections, APC loyalists promised that once their party ruled from Abuja, the road would be fixed immediately. A year later, the road is worse — riddled with gullies, potholes, and stories of tears.

Rather than solutions, Edo people are fed with political slogans like “2.5 million votes for Tinubu,” as if those votes were rewards for neglect. The same government that brags about huge allocations has turned governance into praise-singing while businesses and commuters suffer daily on one of Nigeria’s busiest routes.

When Minister Umahi reappeared, many hoped for change. Instead, he distracted the state with talk of a 100km stretch of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway that would “pass through Edo.” Even worse, he admitted that the design for that project hadn’t been completed — another phantom promise dangled before a weary people.

Governor Okpebholo’s recent admission that Abuja has failed Edo is perhaps the first honest moment of his tenure. His vow that the state would fix the Benin–Sapele Road and later “send the bill to Abuja” was less a bold declaration and more a cry for help — proof that alignment with the federal government means nothing when your people are suffering.

Edo people are not asking for miracles — just for roads that don’t kill, leaders that care, and promises that mean something. After 365 wasted days of neglect, it’s clear that Edo deserves better than political worship and empty speeches. The time has come for action, not applause — because a road that connects lives should not be left to bury them.