Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo has predicted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will win the 2027 presidential election with a landslide.
The Governor disclosed this at the New Festival Hall of Government House, Benin City, while addressing chairmen of the 17 local government councils who dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Governor Okpebholo who praised the leadership style of President Tinubu said steps that previous administration were afraid to take that would have put the nation on sound footing for development and growth is what he took by removing the contentious fuel subsidy.
He said his administration is in to develop the State and make the lives of the people better. The Governor said his administration is ready to work to change the lives of the people for the better, adding that in just four months in office, he and his team have changed the narrative of Edo State.
He said: “I welcome you all our Chairmen who have come to join us, and I praise you for the courage and bravery to leave your party to join the APC. It takes a grounded politician to take this step you have taken today.
“Let me draw your minds back to where we are coming from as an administration. We practically met that Edo was not working when we came into office. What we met in Edo were insecurity, killings, looting Edo treasury using consultants to deceive Edo people and other backward policies implemented by the Obaseki led administration, but we came and changed the narrative.”
However, in its reaction to the defection of 17 council chairmen from the PDP to the APC, the opposition, via a statement by Chris Nehikhare, the Publicity Secretary of its Caretaker Committee in the state, accused Governor Okpebholo of enticing councillors in the state with a bait of N2million per head to defect to the All Progressives Congress(APC).
The PDP condemned “in the strongest terms the reckless use of state resources to purchase support and loyalty, while critical sectors of the state remain in dire need of government intervention, from security to public safety and order, revenue generation, education, and healthcare, among others.”
According to the PDP, “the security crisis in the last few weeks has claimed the lives of at least 40 innocent Edo citizens, who are victims of the brutality of herders, kidnappers, and other violent attacks. The activities of thugs and non-state actors who have continued to harass, intimidate and extort citizens of the state have remained unabated, leaving the majority of residents in fear and causing a drastic fall in revenue generation.”
PDP opined that “the health sector under Okpebholo’s watch is in a state of complete neglect. Health facilities, including the Edo Specialist Hospital, are struggling with a lack of essential medical supplies, making basic healthcare inaccessible to the people.
“The education sector has also suffered from his administration’s failure, ranking among the lowest in budgetary allocation and priority. As a result, students are learning less, and the system is deteriorating at an alarming rate.”
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