Edo Governor Okpebholo Sacks Attorney-General, Reshuffles Cabinet

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has relieved the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Samson Osagie, of his duties and appointed Prof. Roland Otaru, SAN, as his replacement.

The development comes months after Osagie was suspended on February 5, 2025, over alleged official and financial misconduct, alongside the then Chairman of the Edo State Local Government Service Commission, Hon. Lawani Damian. Although Osagie was reinstated on March 12, 2025, after a probe panel cleared him of wrongdoing, his name was missing from the list of newly sworn-in commissioners on Tuesday, October 14, 2025.

Governor Okpebholo officially swore in 19 new commissioners during the ceremony, where Prof. Otaru was named the new Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.

The governor also carried out a minor cabinet reshuffle that saw former Commissioner for Information and Communication, Paul Ohonbamu, replaced by Prince Kassim Afegbua. The ministry has now been renamed Information and Strategy. Ohonbamu was redeployed to the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.

Other notable changes include the redeployment of Dr. Lucky Eseigbe from the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development. Barrister Bisi Idaomi was moved from the Ministry of Women Affairs to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, while Eugenia Abdallah will now oversee the Ministry of Women Affairs.

No commissioner has yet been assigned to the newly created Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy. Additionally, Osi Akhigbe has not been assigned a portfolio, and the confirmation of Hon. Chris Okaeben by the Edo State House of Assembly is still pending.

Governor Okpebholo, who expanded the number of ministries in the state to 28, said the restructuring was part of efforts to realign his administration’s SHINE Agenda with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He explained that the reform aims to mirror the structure at the federal level for greater efficiency and coordination.

Among the newly created ministries are the Ministry of Livestock Development, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Ministry of Power, and Ministry of Labour and Productivity. The former Ministry of Mining, Gas, and Oil has also been split into two — the Ministry of Mining, and the Ministry of Oil and Gas Resources — each to be headed by different commissioners.