… Slams PDP over alleged $10m misuse in newspaper budget
… As 17 LG chairmen defect to APC
Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has declared that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will secure a landslide victory in the 2027 presidential election, insisting that the opposition has no chance of reclaiming power.
Okpebholo made the observation in Benin City while welcoming 17 local government chairmen who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He praised the former PDP members for their decision, describing it as a courageous move that reflected the failures of their former party.
The Governor lauded President Tinubu’s leadership, particularly his decision to remove the contentious fuel subsidy, an economic reform that past administrations had feared implementing. According to Okpebholo, Tinubu’s policies were positioning Nigeria for long-term growth and stability, making his re-election in 2027 inevitable.
Describing the state of Edo when he assumed office, Okpebholo claimed that he inherited widespread insecurity, financial mismanagement, and failing infrastructure due to what he called the “reckless” policies of the Obaseki-led administration. He vowed to reverse the damage and deliver genuine development to the people of the state.
In his address to the defecting chairmen, he urged them to return to their various local government areas and begin grassroots mobilisation for Tinubu’s 2027 campaign. He insisted that “there is no vacancy in 2027 in Abuja” and dismissed efforts by opposition figures to form new political parties, arguing that their past records in governance had been marred by failures, including widespread insecurity in their respective states.
The Governor took the opportunity to express his gratitude to prominent APC leaders, including former Edo State Governor and current Senator representing Edo North, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, as well as APC State Chairman Jarret Tenebe. He also thanked party loyalists for their continuous support, pledging to work with them to strengthen the party’s position in Edo State.
Speaking on behalf of the defectors, the chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) and Esan Central Local Government Chairman, Hon. Kelvin Iyere, said that their decision to leave the PDP was due to internal divisions within the party and their admiration for Okpebholo’s leadership style.
He emphasised that the Governor’s developmental strides in Edo State convinced them to align with the APC.
APC Secretary Lawrence Okah officially welcomed the new members into the party, urging them to collaborate with existing APC structures to advance the Governor’s agenda for the state.
He assured them that the party was open to all who shared the vision of progress and good governance.
The event was attended by top government officials, including 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 numerous APC supporters who gathered to celebrate the defections.
Meanwhile, Governor Okpebholo, has condemned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for alleged mismanagement of state funds, accusing the party of dishonesty and misrepresentation regarding a controversial $10 million budget allocation to The Observer Newspaper.
In a statement, Governor Okpebholo criticised the factional caretaker committee of the PDP and its publicity secretary, Chris Nehikhare, for issuing misleading statements without fully grasping the issue at hand.
According to him, the former administration under Governor Godwin Obaseki allocated the sum shortly before the 2024 governorship election, allegedly using the state-owned newspaper as a front to siphon public funds.
The Governor dismissed Nehikhare’s claims that the funds were used to purchase sophisticated printing equipment, arguing that the machines in question were not only inefficient, but also required billions of naira in additional investment to become functional.
He alleged that the equipment was second-hand and sourced from roadside markets, rather than being the modern machinery that the PDP claimed.
Further attacking Nehikhare’s position, Okpebholo criticised his comments regarding the mass sacking of Observer staff.
He questioned the logic of expecting dismissed employees to remain at their workplace, calling it an example of the flawed reasoning that characterised the previous PDP-led administration.
Okpebholo challenged Nehikhare and the PDP to explain why, at a time when crucial sectors such as education and healthcare were underfunded, Obaseki’s government found it necessary to allocate $10 million to a struggling state-owned newspaper with little influence.
He accused the PDP of attempting to distort the conversation, insisting that the facts should be presented transparently to the people of Edo State.
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.
