The Edo People’s Democratic Party(PDP) Caretaker Committee has described as laughable and utterly unrealistic the statement credited to the state governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo where he promised to deliver 2.5 million votes from Edo State to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 election.
Chris Osa Nehikhare, the Publicity Secretary of the Committee, in a statement said: “Coming from a man who could barely manage 300,000 votes for himself in a governorship election that was marred by heavy militarisation and backed by the full weight of all APC governors, the Senate President and members of National Executive Council(NEC) among others, the statement is not only comical but an outright insult to the intelligence of Edo people.
“The people of Edo State remember vividly the electoral heist of September 2024—an operation carried out in open connivance with the electoral umpire and the federal security apparatus, where figures were conjured from thin air to fraudulently force Okpebholo into office. That sham of an election remains a matter of legal contention in the courts today.”
PDP affirmed that “despite all the rigging, concocted figures, deployment of federal might, and blatant suppression of the people’s will, how many votes did Okpebholo and the APC muster? Just 291,000 votes.
“Now, with a straight face, he wants Nigerians to believe he can mobilise 2.5 million votes for President Tinubu in 2027—just about the entire number of registered voters across all 18 local government areas in the State. Such a claim is not only absurd but reeks of desperation and sycophancy, clearly aimed at pleasing his Abuja benefactors in a bid to legitimise the September 2024 electoral charade.
Going further, PDP stressed: “It is deeply troubling that while Edo people are grappling with growing insecurity as a direct result of lack of leadership, while hunger and economic hardship ravage homes daily, and the state collapses under the burden of decaying infrastructure and poor governance, Okpebholo’s top priority appears to be seeking applause in Abuja through empty posturing and hollow political promises.”
The opposition party expressed confidence that “President Tinubu, a seasoned political operator, will not be swayed by the noise and exaggerated claims of political opportunists. We urge Okpebholo to step out of his echo chamber, abandon the obsession with political showmanship, and face the urgent task of governance and delivering real results to the people of Edo State.”
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