In a true democracy, the choice of who leads and governs, reflects the will of the people. When an electoral mandate is stolen, the consequences are profound.

Edo State, now enduring 100 days under the incompetent and imposed administration of Monday Okpebholo, has stumbled from one misstep to another with devastating effects on governance and public trust. His tenure has been marked by escalating insecurity, financial recklessness, incompetence and mismanagement, while the state suffers the cost of lost opportunities and abandoned progress.

With the Election Tribunal having concluded the adoption of final written addresses on March the 3rd and reserved judgment for a later date to announced, the people of Edo now wait for justice to be served. While we wait, the devastating consequences of this stolen mandate continue to unfold.

With the ruinous hand of an unprepared INEC imposed Governor, Monday Okpebholo?s administration has been an exercise in confusion and failure.

A state which should have been on the path to accelerated development under a competent leader with a clear vision has instead been thrown into chaos regression and insecurity. The cost of the stolen mandate is not just political. It is economic, social and deeply personal for the citizens who must endure the consequences.

His government is paralyzed by nepotism and inexperience, unable to advance projects or articulate a coherent policy agenda. One of his first grand proclamations ? the Ramat Park flyover ? was nothing more than a mirage, with no budgetary allocation or groundwork in sight.

His economic policies have followed a similar pattern of deception and mismanagement, with state funds channeled into extravagant spending while pressing infrastructural needs are ignored.

Meanwhile, the return of Agberos ? violent thugs masquerading as revenue collectors ? has reintroduced lawlessness to the streets, harassing traders and transporters while driving fear into daily life. Instead of a structured revenue collection system, Edo is once again at the mercy of gangsters acting with impunity under the protection of the state.

Insecurity, as predicted by Okpebholo himself in a Freudian slip during his campaign, has escalated dramatically. Criminal activity, including kidnappings and armed robberies, has soared. The recent killings by suspected herdsmen stand as a horrifying testament to his administration?s failure, exacerbated by the disabling of the Edo State Vigilante Network. Once a bulwark against rural crime, the vigilante force has been left in disarray, leaving communities defenseless against violent incursions.

Beyond the visible damage of Okpebholo?s incompetence lies the greater tragedy ? the progress Edo has lost. With lost opportunity as the cost of the September 21 heist, industrialisation plans that could right now be transforming the state into a manufacturing and agro-processing hub have stalled, as investors withdraw from a government lacking credibility.

Education reform, once poised to modernize learning and skill development, has been abandoned in favor of political patronage, dooming a generation of Edo youths to mediocrity. Public trust in governance has eroded, witness the abandonment of the Edo E-Gov and EdoGIS digital platforms, as citizens endure the collapse of accountability under an administration that was never truly elected.

Edo State cannot afford four years of this imposed disaster. The people must decide how long they will tolerate this erosion of governance, security, and progress. The final judgment at the Election Tribunal will be a defining moment for the future of Edo. The people demand justice, not just for themselves but for the generations to come.

If history is any guide, the spirit of Edo will not remain passive. The people are watching, waiting, and preparing for the moment when their voices will once again shape the destiny of their state.

Through the judiciary, the last hope of the people, the time to reset Edo?s future is near, when the people?s resolve will once again be reflected in a restored, legitimate and competent leadership.

?Omoregie, a public affairs analyst, writes from Benin City.

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