initiated improvements in the areas of sports, urban development, education, public transportation, housing and commerce. He built the Ogbe sports stadium, now named the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, and in August 1973 he commissioned the three-story National Museum in Benin City. Other projects included the Agbede Mechanized Farm, Rural Electrification Board, Bendel Steel Structures, Bendel Pharmaceuticals, Bendel Boatyard, the University of Benin and the Bendel Line. In later years, people looked back on his governorship as a time when much was achieved, followed by stagnation in later administrations. Members of his cabinet included Edwin Clark, Frank Oputa-Otutu, T.E.A. Salubi, and Lawrence Leo Borha. In July 1975, when Murtala Mohammed became head of state, he retired the twelve military governors who had served under Yakubu Gowon. The retirement of governors found guilty of corruption was converted to dismissal. Among these was Brigadier General Samuel Ogbemudia, whom Murtala, then leader of the Mid-west invasion had unilaterally appointed eight years earlier, and whom he replaced by Colonel George Agbazika Innih. Ogbemudia was investigated by a panel in 1975 but felt he could not receive a fair trial because the head of the panel had been relieved of his previous position by Ogbemudia. The 1975 asset investigation panel however found him guilt of corrupt enrichment. In the second republic, he was cleared by the Bendel State House of Assembly of mis-governance. Ogbemudia was in London during the July 1975 coup and helped with renovations of Gowon's London abode after the ex-president went into exile. Post military career During a brief return to civil rule, Samuel Ogbemudia was elected governor of Bendel State in Oct 1983 as candidate for the National Party of Nigeria, replacing Ambrose Alli of the Unity Party of Nigeria. However, he lost his position in December that year when Muhammadu Buhari became military ruler after a coup d'état that overthrew civilian President Shehu Shagari. Between 1987 and 1989, Ogbemudia Chairman of the Nigerian Sports Commission, in 1989, Babangida appointed him as the Sole Administrator of the struggling Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC). During his administration, the operations and finances of the corporation improved before he left NRC in 1992. General Sani Abacha, military head of state from November, 1993 until his death in June, 1998, appointed Ogbemudia as minister for Labor and Productivity. Samuel Ogbemudia was quoted as saying he would die for Abacha. Ogbemudia supported a move to have Abacha stand for election, saying "The nation has made wonderful progress under General Abacha ... He is, no doubt, the only answer to Nigeria's progress and development". Fourth republic After the restoration of democracy in 1998/1999, Ogbemudia was one of the founders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo state, and a member of the party's Board of Trustees. Ogbemudia and Chief Anthony Anenih between them controlled PDP politics in Edo State for the next decade, at first working well together but later coming into open conflict. In December 2004, Ogbemudia was said to have agreed that Anthony Anenih should nominate his choice of governor for Edo State. He said he did not want a situation where one senatorial district in the state had a permanent hold on the position of governor. In November 2007, at an enlarged meeting of the PDP at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin, Ogbemudia spoke strongly against proposals by Anthony Anenih to change existing zoning arrangement of offices, then walked out of the meeting. In December 2006, Ogbemudia expressed support for the presidential bid of Dr Mohammed Buba Marwa. On 20 March 2008, a tribunal nullified the election of Oserheimen Osunbor (PDP) as Edo State governor