By Fatima Saka
The Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has endorsed Governor Monday Okpebholo for a second term and set a target of 2.5 million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
The party announced the endorsement on Friday at the grand finale of its statewide grassroots mobilisation campaign in Irrua, Esan Central Local Government Area of Edo State.
The state APC Chairman, Jarrett Tenebe, said the decision followed an assessment of the governor’s performance during visits to the three senatorial districts of Edo South, Edo North and Edo Central.
According to him, the party’s State Working Committee observed ongoing development projects and widespread grassroots support for the administration during the tour.
“Considering the development going on and the massive support the governor enjoys, I do not think we can afford to wait before taking this decision,” Tenebe said before calling on committee members present to endorse Okpebholo for another term. The endorsement was unanimous.
The party’s Vice Chairman, Sylvester Aigboboh, said the vote of confidence reflected what he described as the governor’s achievements within his first year and 11 months in office.
He cited road infrastructure development, teacher recruitment and the upgrading of healthcare facilities as some of the administration’s major interventions.
Responding, Okpebholo thanked Tenebe and members of the State Working Committee for their confidence in his administration and urged party members to remain committed to the APC and support its programmes at both state and federal levels.
The governor also called on party faithful to support Tinubu, while Tenebe reaffirmed the Edo APC’s commitment to mobilising votes for the President ahead of the 2027 elections.
Tenebe expressed optimism that the party would achieve its target of securing 2.5 million votes for Tinubu in the state.
Meanwhile, the governor criticised the ongoing industrial action by staff of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), which he blamed for power outages in parts of Edo State.
Okpebholo alleged that the action was politically motivated and intended to undermine his administration’s popularity, although no supporting evidence for the allegation was provided in the statement.
“I am surprised. When they started hearing about our popularity, they said they will cut off electricity supply to Edo,” he said.
The governor said he would raise the matter with relevant authorities in Abuja, insisting that residents’ welfare should not be compromised by political considerations.
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“You cannot play politics with people’s lives,” he added.
The Irrua event marked the conclusion of the APC’s statewide grassroots mobilisation campaign, which the party said was aimed at strengthening its structures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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