Adams Oshiomhole used the flag-off of the Edo North Senatorial District local government election campaign in Auchi on Saturday to deliver his most explicit public endorsement yet of Governor Monday Okpebholo’s proposed death penalty for kidnappers and bandits, declaring that offenders would be punished by death through firing squad under the state’s planned legislation.
The former Edo State governor and current senator representing Edo North said the state was operating within its constitutional rights in proposing the measure, citing the federalism principle that allows states to enact laws on punishment for state offences. He framed the policy not as severity for its own sake but as a restoration of civil order, arguing that only criminals had reason to fear the Okpebholo administration. Law-abiding residents, he said, had seen their civil liberties restored.
Oshiomhole also reiterated his support for state police, describing it as a necessary complement to the Nigeria Police Force in tackling the security challenges that have made the death penalty proposal politically viable in the first place. The Senate’s passage of the State Police Bill last week gives that position fresh legislative context.
Governor Okpebholo, who also addressed the rally, kept his remarks focused on the campaign immediate at hand and the broader 2027 picture. He outlined infrastructure projects his administration has initiated across the state, including roads, schools, and markets, and credited President Bola Tinubu’s removal of the fuel subsidy with freeing up state resources for those investments. He set a target of 2.5 million votes for Tinubu in Edo State at the 2027 general election, framing the local government contest as a preparatory exercise for that larger mobilisation.
Minister of Regional Development Abubakar Momoh described the local government election as a significant step toward 2027, while APC State Chairman Jarrett Tenebe urged council candidates to prioritise grassroots service delivery, calling local government the tier of governance closest to the people.
The death penalty proposal remains the most consequential policy claim to emerge from the event. Nigeria’s criminal law framework is primarily federal, and the constitutional basis for a state to legislate the death penalty for kidnapping as a distinct state offence will face scrutiny before any such law could be implemented. Oshiomhole’s endorsement signals that Edo’s APC leadership is prepared to test that boundary, and that the proposal is intended as a serious legislative initiative rather than campaign rhetoric.
Whether the National Assembly, the courts, or the state legislature ultimately determines its fate, the proposal has now been publicly backed by one of Nigeria’s most prominent political figures at a campaign event attended by senior government officials. It is no longer a governor’s declaration. It is party policy.
