Edo Governor says lawmakers should appropriate funds while MDAs execute projects, insists amendment is aimed at stopping abuse and enforcing due process
Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has defended the recent amendment of the Financial Autonomy Law of the Edo State House of Assembly and the Judicial Autonomy Law, saying the changes are designed to strengthen transparency, accountability and due process in the management of public funds.
The governor made the clarification on Monday at the Edo State Government House in Benin City while receiving traditional rulers from Esan South East Local Government Area, led by the Onojie of Ubiaja, His Royal Highness Curtis Iredia Eidinojie I.
Okpebholo said the decision to amend the laws was driven by concerns over the way funds meant for constituency projects had allegedly been handled.
According to the governor, funds had been allocated for constituency projects, but no such project had been executed since September 2025.
He argued that the situation could not continue without proper checks, insisting that the three arms of government have separate constitutional responsibilities.
“We have three independent arms of government, and the House is to appropriate funds and not to carry out the functions of the executive by executing projects,” the governor said.
Okpebholo maintained that the Edo State House of Assembly has the responsibility to appropriate funds and approve projects, while the Executive should implement approved projects through the appropriate ministries, departments and agencies.
He said the new arrangement was necessary to ensure that public funds were properly accounted for and that constituency projects actually reached the people they were meant to benefit.
The governor alleged that substantial funds had been allocated for constituency projects without corresponding projects being delivered since September last year.
“Since last year, a lot of money was going there, but even the members were not seeing it. Since September last year, they have not carried out any constituency project, and money was going there,” he said.
The governor’s comments place the issue of financial control and constituency projects at the centre of an emerging debate over the relationship between the Executive and Legislative arms of government in Edo State.
Okpebholo said government must operate with checks and balances rather than allowing one individual to have excessive control over the implementation of public projects.
“These are reasons why we cannot trust one individual with due process without checks and balances,” he said.
Under the amended arrangement, constituency projects will be domiciled within relevant MDAs. Lawmakers will still identify and appropriate funds for projects within their constituencies, but the actual implementation will be handled through the appropriate government agencies.
The governor said the arrangement would make it easier for lawmakers to monitor projects while ensuring that implementation follows approved specifications.
“Now, their constituency projects will be domiciled in various MDAs and, once they appropriate funds for projects, they are able to track them through the ministries and ensure the projects are done according to specification, not one person determining what should be done,” Okpebholo said.
He described the changes as part of efforts to correct what he considers weaknesses in the previous system and ensure that money approved for development is used for its intended purpose.
The governor also said the amended framework would protect the interest of the people by ensuring that constituency projects are subjected to proper government procedures.
“These are the things we are trying to correct, and thank God the members understand it and are insisting that their money is for the people and must follow due process,” he added.
The controversy surrounding the amendment comes against the wider backdrop of debates over financial autonomy, separation of powers and the implementation of constituency projects in Nigeria.
Constituency projects are generally designed to respond to development needs identified within communities, including roads, schools, health facilities, water projects and other public infrastructure.
The central question in Edo is now how the new system will work in practice and whether the involvement of MDAs will lead to faster, more transparent and better monitored delivery of projects across the state’s constituencies.
Okpebholo also used the meeting with the traditional rulers to appeal for their support for the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He said the economic reforms of the Federal Government had increased the resources available to Edo State for development.
The governor urged the traditional rulers to take the message of the Federal Government’s reforms to their communities, arguing that the increased resources were helping his administration execute projects across the state.
“You know I have promised Mr. President 2.5 million votes. The people I have in mind to help me deliver it are you, the traditional rulers,” Okpebholo told the traditional rulers.
He described traditional rulers as important links between government and the people because of their influence within their communities.
“You are the ones who talk to the common man in your communities. You know everybody, and they listen to you,” he said.
The governor said the projects being undertaken by his administration were partly linked to the financial benefits he attributed to the reforms of the Tinubu administration.
“I want you to please take this message home and let the people know that the promise to Mr. President is for the benefit of the state,” he said.
“The projects I am carrying out in our communities are because of Mr. President’s reforms, and we must ensure we sustain them through our votes.”
His comments effectively tied the state’s development programme to the political future of the Tinubu administration, with the governor making clear his intention to mobilise support for the President ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The traditional rulers, for their part, used the meeting to thank the governor for his support for their son, Hon. Sunny Ojiezele, who currently serves as Majority Leader of the Edo State House of Assembly.
The spokesperson for the delegation and Onojie of Ugboha, His Royal Highness Ukata Odigie, commended the governor for what he described as various development projects across Edo State.
Odigie particularly praised the redevelopment of Ramat Park, describing the project as a bold statement of the administration’s vision for the state.
The governor also received the spouses of members of the Edo State House of Assembly, who visited the Government House to felicitate with him on his birthday.
The latest development places greater attention on the financial relationship between the Edo State Executive and Legislative arms, particularly over who controls and implements constituency projects.
While the governor insists that the amendment is about accountability and preventing the misuse of public funds, the effectiveness of the new system will ultimately be measured by whether constituency projects are delivered transparently, according to approved budgets and specifications, and whether communities receive the infrastructure allocated to them.
For now, Okpebholo has made his position clear: lawmakers should appropriate and monitor, government agencies should execute, and public funds should pass through established due process.
The political and financial debate over the amendment, however, is unlikely to disappear quickly as Edo State continues to grapple with questions of accountability, legislative independence and the delivery of development projects to local communities.
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