Edo State Governor Grants Pardon to 10 Inmates as Tenure Ends
Outgoing Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, exercised his final acts of office on Monday by granting pardons to 10 inmates with less than a year left to serve in correctional centers within the state.
This decision, part of Obaseki’s prerogative of mercy, was confirmed in a statement released by the Office of the Special Adviser, Media, and signed by Crusoe Osagie.
The pardoned inmates are Igwe Kelechukwu, Esazobor Ohioze, Gift Osaretun, Takyi Rockson, Dikuar Friday, Ossai Glory, Augustine Sunday, Daulagha Ebifagha Godluck, James Paul, and Anas Isah.
The clemency followed a recommendation from the Edo State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy, led by Justice P.O. Isibor (retd), who had reviewed a request from the Benin Correctional Service for leniency toward inmates nearing the end of their sentences.
In the statement, the council noted that a November 5 letter from the Correctional Service, endorsed by the Controller of the facility, was sent to the council to request pardons. The council’s members then convened to review the cases, ultimately advising the governor to grant clemency to the inmates.
As Obaseki’s tenure concludes, preparations for the inauguration of Edo’s incoming governor, Monday Okpebholo, are underway. Following his victory in the September 2024 election, Okpebholo, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is set to assume office at a ceremony scheduled for Tuesday at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City.
The event is expected to attract prominent APC members, including all APC governors, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and a delegation of senators and House of Representatives members led by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas. The deputy governor-elect, Dennis Idahosa, a current member of the House of Representatives, will also be in attendance, marking a display of unity from both chambers.
Ahead of the inauguration, Benin’s main streets, including areas around the stadium and Airport Road, were given a fresh look. According to a member of the inauguration committee, the preparations have drawn considerable attention, with several party dignitaries arriving in the city on Monday.
Despite the high-profile nature of the event, Obaseki himself is not expected to attend. The inauguration committee member, speaking anonymously, indicated that the outgoing governor was not formally invited. “If he decides not to be there, no one can force him, but that won’t stop the inauguration from taking place,” the member said.
With this transition, Okpebholo becomes the fifth governor of Edo State since the advent of the Fourth Republic in 1999, as the people of Edo look forward to a new era under his leadership.
