By Ben Ogbemudia
A frontline chairmanship aspirant for Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area in the forthcoming Edo council polls, Hon. Ikponmwosa Clement Aitusi, has applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving a 100-kilometre stretch of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway to pass through Edo State.
Aitusi, who addressed journalists in Abuja on Sunday, also commended Governor Monday Okpebholo for consistently engaging the Presidency to secure projects for Edo. He noted that the project would open up the state’s coastal line, with Ikpoba-Okha among the key beneficiaries.
“If given the party’s ticket, I will leverage this golden opportunity to accelerate rural development and boost the revenue base of the council,” the All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant pledged.
The Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) has fixed November 10–29, 2025 for party primaries ahead of the elections.
Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, had earlier announced the inclusion of Edo in the coastal highway during the Edo State Independence Gala Night held at the State Villa, Benin City, on October 1. He revealed that the state was not part of the original plan but was later captured following President Tinubu’s directive.
“The President called me and said this project must pass through Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and to Cross River… Your Excellency, the President has given you 100 kilometres by 2 of the coastal highway,” Umahi disclosed.
Umahi also assured that inherited federal road projects in Edo would be completed despite funding constraints, while lauding Governor Okpebholo for intervening in repairs on the Benin-Sapele-Warri road.
Governor Okpebholo, in his remarks, thanked President Tinubu for the gesture, describing it as proof of the President’s love for Edo people. He urged residents to reciprocate the gesture with massive support in 2027, while pledging his administration’s commitment to infrastructure renewal.