The Edo State Government has threatened legal action against Hon. Ogbeide Faluyi-Isibor, a commissioner in the administration of former Governor Godwin Obaseki, over alleged defamation.
DAILY POST reports that the government also issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the former Commissioner for Digital Economy, Science and Technology to publicly retract and apologise for the alleged criminal defamation made against it.
In a statement signed by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Samson R. Osagie, dated June 8, 2025, the state government condemned a viral post circulated across various social media platforms since June 6, 2025, alleging irregularities and incompetence within the current administration.
Osagie, who noted that the viral post was published on the former commissioner’s official Facebook page, said the government described the publication as baseless, malicious, and aimed at bringing the governor and his cabinet into disrepute.
According to him, the Edo State Government, through its Ministry of Justice, has issued a stern warning to Mr Ogbeide Ifaluyi-Isibor over a social media publication it considers malicious and defamatory towards Governor Monday Okpebholo, and members of the State Executive Council.
“The controversial post reportedly claimed that the state government had only held three Executive Council meetings in eight months and accused the Governor of residing mostly in Abuja while manipulating contract awards from the capital.
“The author also alleged that state funds were being saved to pay for a Supreme Court judgment, referencing past contracts initiated by the previous administration,”; he said.
Osagie, who dismissed the claims as “completely false,”; asserted that Governor Okpebholo’s administration, not yet eight months in office, has convened several Executive Council meetings which have led to key developmental initiatives, including ongoing flyover projects in Benin City.
He stated that the government has accused Mr Ifaluyi-Isibor of criminal defamation and warned that it would pursue both civil and criminal legal action should a public retraction and apology not be issued within 24 hours.
The Commissioner for Justice further demanded that the apology from Mr Ogbeide Faluyi-Isibor be published across all social media platforms and in at least one national newspaper.
“This publication amounts to criminal defamation. We intend to proceed against you through the security agencies for you to prove the criminal allegations you have made.
“The government’s response signals a strong stance against misinformation and perceived attempts to undermine its credibility, particularly as political attention intensifies ahead of the 2027 general elections,”; he added.
DAILY POST recalls that Mr Ogbeide Faluyi-Isibor, a former commissioner in the cabinet of former Governor Godwin Obaseki, had on June 6, 2025, via his official Facebook page, alleged that the Governor Monday Okpebholo-led government had held only three executive council meetings over the past eight months in office.
Faluyi-Isibor further alleged that Governor Okpebholo practically resides in Abuja, where he collects lists of contracts to award and later sneaks into Benin to finalise the awards.
