Despite his initial reluctance to enter politics, Edo State Governor Senator Monday Okpebholo has disclosed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) begged him to run for the Edo Central Senatorial seat in the general election of 2023.
Speaking at a gathering on Sunday, Governor Okpebholo described how the lack of viable candidates inside the party convinced him to run for governor.
“If you look at me very well, I am not the talking type. I have never been interested in politics,” he said. “But I want to see that where I come from is developed. That was the drive, and that was the spirit. Nobody wanted to contest for Senate under APC, but they were fighting and killing themselves to get House of Assembly tickets in the PDP.”
The governor then shared that his candidacy resulted from a concerted effort by party stakeholders.
“Three people came into my house and said, ‘We have come to tell you to contest for Senate.’ That rejected stone—today, everybody is turning to APC,” he said.
Governor Okpebholo foresaw major political changes in the South-South area in the future, indicating a wider alignment with the development program of the federal government.
“Very soon, there will be wings flying left and right. People will be moving, cross-carpeting. That is the beginning of the South-South coming together under the common transformation agenda of Mr. President, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Okpebholo stated.
