Senator Monday Okpebholo, the governor of Edo State, has stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will win the 2027 presidential election by a landslide and that the opposition will not be able to regain power.
While greeting 17 local government chairmen who had switched from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Okpebholo made the statement in Benin City. He commended the former PDP members for their choice, calling it a brave act that took into account the shortcomings of their previous party.
President Tinubu’s leadership was praised by the governor, especially his decision to eliminate the controversial gasoline subsidy, an economic reform that previous administrations had been afraid to pursue. Okpebholo claimed that Tinubu’s policies were setting up Nigeria for stability and long-term growth, making his reelection in 2027 inevitable.
In his assessment of Edo’s situation upon taking office, Okpebholo said that the Obaseki-led administration’s “reckless” actions were to blame for the city’s pervasive insecurity, poor financial management, and deteriorating infrastructure. He pledged to undo the harm and provide the state’s citizens with real progress. He called on the chairmen who had defected to go back to their respective local government districts and start organizing at the grassroots level for Tinubu’s 2027 campaign.
He maintained that “there is no vacancy in 2027 in Abuja” and rejected opposition leaders’ attempts to start new political parties, claiming that their prior records of governance had been tainted by setbacks, such as the pervasive insecurity in their states.
The governor used the occasion to thank key APC figures, such as APC State Chairman Jarret Tenebe and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the former governor of Edo State and current senator for Edo North. Additionally, he expressed gratitude to party supporters for their unwavering support and promised to collaborate with them to improve the party’s standing in Edo State.
According to Hon. Kelvin Iyere, the chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) and the chairman of the Esan Central Local Government, the defectors’ decision to leave the PDP was motivated by internal party strife and their appreciation of Okpebholo’s management style. He emphasized that they were persuaded to join the APC by the governor’s progress in Edo State.
After formally welcoming the new members into the party, APC Secretary Lawrence Okah urged them to work with the current APC institutions in order to further the governor’s agenda for the state. He reassured them that anyone who shared the belief in growth and sound government may join the party.
Deputy Governor Hon. Dennis Idahosa, Chief of Staff Gani Adams, Secretary to the State Government Musa Ikhilor, members of the Edo State House of Assembly, serving commissioners, and a large number of APC supporters were among the high-ranking government officials who attended the event to commemorate the defections.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been accused of mishandling state funds by Governor Okpebholo, who has also accused the party of dishonesty and deceit in relation to a contentious $10 million budget allocation to The Observer Newspaper.
Governor Okpebholo criticized the PDP’s factional caretaker committee and its publicity secretary, Chris Nehikhare, in a statement for making false claims before fully understanding the matter at hand.
He claims that the amount was distributed just before the 2024 governorship election by the previous administration, which was led by Governor Godwin Obaseki, who reportedly used the state-owned newspaper as a front to embezzle public monies.
Nehikhare’s assertions that the money was used to buy expensive printing equipment were rejected by the governor, who said that the machines were not only ineffective but also needed billions of naira in extra funding to be operational. He claimed that instead of being state-of-the-art machinery as the PDP claimed, the equipment was used and purchased from roadside markets.
Okpebholo criticized Nehikhare’s remarks about the wholesale firing of Observer employees, further undermining his position. He called it an example of the faulty reasoning that typified the previous PDP-led administration and questioned the rationale behind expecting fired personnel to stay at their place of employment.
Okpebholo asked Nehikhare and the PDP to explain why Obaseki’s administration saw the need to spend $10 million on a state-owned newspaper that was floundering and had no clout at a time when vital areas like healthcare and education were underfunded. He insisted that the facts be given to the people of Edo State in a clear and concise manner, accusing the PDP of trying to sway the discussion.
The Governor reaffirmed his commitment to cleaning up what he described as the financial mess left behind by the Obaseki administration, vowing to ensure that public resources were directed toward projects that genuinely benefited the people.
