Opinion

Edo 2024: Heading to tribunal, Ighodalo dashes Okpebholo’s hope for ‘congratulation’

Published

1 month ago

October 7, 2024

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By Ehichioya Ezomon

The typical politician shows only one part of their persona when campaigning for elective office. They tell the public that they seek the political position simply – and solely – to render service to the people. They deny the craving for further expansion of their private frontiers with public power, resources, and influence!
Note that the tongue-in-cheek politician or politico-technocrat doesn’t render any noticeable service – not to talk of a selfless one – for the general good, but only to themselves, their immediate and extended families, friends, business associates and old school mates, if they still remember them.
The grassroots are never in the reckoning of the average politician or technocrat until it comes to seeking to occupy an elective position. If their competitors abridged their ambition, they rave and rant in the media about a “stolen mandate” allegedly given to them by the very people they’ve never considered on their way to the top.
The tenacious efforts to “retrieve the stolen mandate” – with a huge financial outlay to hire several of the best and most expensive senior lawyers – betrays the politician’s selfish reason for wanting to serve in an elective position. If really their interest is genuine – and the people they seek to serve have rejected them at the ballot – why not simply shrug their shoulder and honourably bow and retreat?
Not so with the Nigerian politician, who sees the alure of elective office so tempting as to declare the fight for it a do-or-die affair that entertains no failure at the poll, nor a concrete and peaceful plan of exit. Rather, the politician will cry foul that their “mandate has been stolen.”
They’ll rile up their party base, supporters and critics with inflammatory statements against the actual “mandate holder,” and the electoral umpire that may’ve made that declaration without bias, or being influenced, but in accordance with the laws of the election. They’ll follow up their criticisms and condemnation with a threat to – and actually – go to the Election Petitions Tribunal, to “regain the stolen mandate.”
This illustrates the step-by-step reaction and actions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State, Dr Asue Ighodalo, who lost to the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo (APC, Edo Central).
Let’s briefly look at Ighodalo’s reason for elective office vis-a-vis his rationale for vowing to go for broke at the tribunal, which he hinted about in his thank-you message to Edo people on September 23 in Benin City. The message was entitled, “My good people of Edo State, in all things, we must first give thanks to God.”
According to Ighodalo: “We are grateful for the gift of life, health, and your overwhelming love and support throughout this journey. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who stood by us. Your unwavering dedication has fueled our campaign and kept us moving forward.
“I particularly thank the brave people of Edo State who, despite rain, threats, and intimidation, cast their votes on September 21, 2024. Your resilience is the bedrock of our democracy. You are the true heroes of this moment, and your courage will never be forgotten. Your sacrifice paves the way for a brighter Edo State, one built on integrity and justice.
“My aspiration has never been about power. It has always been a genuine desire to serve and create prosperity for all in Edo State, for every man, woman, and child. I visited every ward, every local government, sharing this vision of hope and listening to your dreams. Your voices strengthened my resolve to fight for a better future.
“To our dedicated supporters, I thank you deeply for your belief in this cause. Your time, conversations, and votes carried us far beyond expectations. We ran a great campaign together, and your support was clear. Sadly, our progress was abruptly halted by those who don’t care for the people or the future of Edo.
“September 21, 2024, will be remembered as a dark day. The brazen theft of our mandate and the silencing of your voice was a grave injustice. But we must not be discouraged. Evil’s temporary victory can never erase the truth. Our quest for prosperity is just beginning, not ending.”
Certainly, Ighodalo, being a politico-technocrat, has subsumed his professing of “service to the people,” to gain the elusive elective office of Governor by all means possible. Rejecting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC’s) declaration of Okpebholo, Ighodalo heads to the courts for an epic legal battle to retrieve his “stolen mandate.”
Unless the unforeseen, and unexpected happens, Ighodalo – if he chooses to run the gamut of the law – has 10 months of six months at the Election Petitions Tribunal, two months at the Appeal Court and two months at the Supreme Court, in that order, to exhaust his case.
In an interview on Channels TV’s ‘Politics Today’ on September 27, as reported by Daily Trust, Ighodalo accused the INEC and the Police of colluding to rob him of his “mandate,” stating that many voters were disenfranchised, amid evidence of rampant over-voting, and alteration of results.
Ighodalo said: “There was a collusion between the INEC and the police to suppress the will of the people of Edo State. People of Edo State purposely voted for us (PDP). We won the election clearly. It is painful because you have many young people who felt that they were disenfranchised in the past; they feel that their votes were not counted and they asked what kind of democracy we run.
“I had been trying to encourage them, that make sure your votes count but we have serious collusion by INEC and the APC working towards votes not counting. But this time around, we will go through the judicial process and the vote will count. We are quite clear that with the evidence we have, we will show clearly that we won the election. And the mandate of the people will be upheld.”
Exonerating the PDP from vote-buying, Ighodalo added: “We were not involved in vote buying at all. APC agents came with minted notes straight from the CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria); they were offering N20,000, N30,000 and N50,000 per vote. Our guys went to them and told them, ‘you can’t come here to buy votes.'”
Very weighty allegations of disenfranchisement of voters; suppression of votes; over-voting; buying of votes; alteration of results; fraudulent process; and connivance of the APC, INEC and Police to flip Ighodalo’s “victory” for Okpebholo. To get judgment(s), though, at the courts, Ighodalo and the PDP must “prove these allegations beyond all reasonable doubts,” and “in substantial compliance” with the relevant electoral laws in Nigeria.
However, it appears Ighodalo and the PDP are poised to run their election petitions at the tribunal along with an indefinite protest to pressure the INEC to reverse its declaration of Okpebholo as the winner of the poll, and restore Ighodalo’s reported “stolen mandate.”
Kicking off the protest in Benin City on October 2, the party leaders, including the Edo chapter chairman, Dr Anthony Aziegbemi, the Director-General of the PDP Campaign Council, Hon. Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, and the Deputy Director-General (Media and Publicity), Rev. Olu Martins, carried placards, demanding that INEC return the “stolen mandate” by declaring Dr Ighodalo as “the authentic winner of the governorship election.”
Stating that the protest was to inform the world that Ighodalo had won the election, and that the INEC altered the results of certain local governments in favour of another candidate, Aziegbemi thanked the PDP supporters for “joining this journey to reclaim our stolen mandate, which was subverted by both the police and INEC.”
“If we had lost in a free and fair contest, we would have congratulated them (Okpebholo and APC), but they stole our mandate. Therefore, we cannot congratulate them,” Aziegbemi said. “This is Nigeria; we will not allow our victory to be stolen. We are confident that the overwhelming evidence we will present will help recover our mandate.”
Aziegbemi urged the supporters to “remain patient,” while the judiciary reviews the evidence impartially, “and recognises that the PDP rightfully won the election, and delivers a fair judgment.”
As Ighodalo takes his defeat to the tribunal, a chieftain of the PDP and Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Blessing Agbebaku, has congratulated Okpebholo on his victory. This comes as Agbebaku welcomed members of the assembly back from a very long recess on October 2, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Agbebaku, who’s third in the hierarchy of elected and appointed officials in the state, and a major player in the September 21 poll, noted that “the Governor-elect is for all Edo people, and not just the APC,” and expressed the hope that sycophants wouldn’t mislead Okpebholo from running an inclusive government.
Meanwhile, Okpebholo – after he and Deputy Governor-elect Dennis Idahosa presented their Certificates of Return to President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on September 26 – stated that if he were in Ighodalo’s shoes, he’d congratulate the winner of the election.
Okpebholo, fielding questions from State House correspondents on what he would’ve done had he lost the governorship, and what does his election portend for Edo State, said: “I think Edo people have spoken with their votes. For me, I’m coming as a servant to serve Edo people. That is what is required of me, and that is exactly what I am going to do.
“My election as Governor of Edo signals a new dawn for the State. So, very soon, we will see a lot of developments coming to Edo. A lot will be happening over time.”
Promising to run an open-door administration – and urging those who lost at the election to bear the pain with fortitude – Okpebholo declared: “If I had lost, I would have to bear it, and I would have, by now, congratulated the winner. So, I’m expecting them to congratulate me.”
To the typical politician, accepting electoral defeat is easier said than done, notwithstanding their parroting of service the people. As he’s not affected in the instant scenario, Okpebholo can afford to sing a different tune from Ighodalo’s, who’s taken the optional legal route for remedy to his poll grievances.
If Okpebholo were defeated on September 21, it could only take his will power – via the grace of the Lord – to take a page from the playbook of former President Goodluck Jonathan and ex-Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, to say to the winner, “I congratulate you for your victory at the election.”
Does Okpebholo possess such will power, to resist the pressures from his immediate family, the campaign organisation, political party, financial backers, supporters, aides and consultants not to cave in, and congratulate the opponent that beat him to the second position at the ballot? Yet, must politicians serve the people by force, by going to the tribunal to regain a “stolen mandate” that’s most often a figment of their imagination?
Ighodalo congratulating Okpebholo or not is immaterial at this stage of the long journey to the Osadebey Avenue Government House seat of power in Benin City, Edo State capital city. What matters is Okpebholo’s choice to waste or make judicious use of the first months at his disposal – within which the election petitions and appeals are dispensed with – to prove his mettle that he’s the right person for Governor of Edo State from November 11, 2024!

Mr Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria

Opinion

Is Okowa in a witch-hunt or scapegoat melodrama?

Published

18 hours ago

November 14, 2024

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Ifeanyi Okowa

***EFCC perjures itself on Mambilla funds as it unleashes on Atiku’s Running Mate

By Alhaji Ajila Sarafa

The incredulous Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had already detained Mr Ifeanyi Okowa, for two days, over for “N1.3 trillion fraud” and there have been speculations about Okowa’s payments of “N100 billion”, “N40 billion”, N8 billion etc for this and that.
Mr Ifeanyi Okowa is a staunch PDP leader who was previously a Senator of the Federal Republic, a two-term former Delta State governor and was the Running Mate to the PDP Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 elections.

At a press conference on Thursday, 31 October 2024, the EFCC reeled out its achievements in prosecuting “former governors, ministers over N4.92 trillion fraud” and the “successful prosecution of four former governors and two former ministers over the past 12 months under the leadership of its Executive Chairman, Barr. Ola Olukoyede, mentioning high-profile personalities charged like former governors Yahaya Bello (APC) of Kogi State, Abdulfatah Ahmed (PDP) of Kwara State, Willie Obiano (APGA) of Anambra State, and Darius Ishaku (PDP) of Taraba State “for serious allegations involving billions in state funds”.

In what played out like a script of a melodrama to hunt down opposition peoples for real or phantom crimes as offenders or scapegoats or as sacrifices, the EFCC announced at a press conference that the “former Kogi Governor Bello faces charges related to over N190 billion, Ishaku of N27 billion, Ahmed for mismanagement of N10 billion, and Obiano for money laundering and theft of N4 billion.
EFCC also disclosed that it has also charged former ministers Saleh Mamman (APC) and Olu Agunloye (SDP) “for misappropriating funds from the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project of N33.8 billion and $6 billion respectively”.

Everyone should be worried about these crimes towering over N6.3 trillion being committed by less than a dozen men, whether or not they are in the opposition parties to the ruling party or in personal opposition to the current rulers of Nigeria. Are these people the only offenders? Or are these people those who have not heeded the call of one of the National Chairmen of the ruling Party who publicly said, “come to APC and your sins are forgiven”. The former PDP Vice Presidential Candidate, Sen. Okowa is the latest addition to the set of EFCC tagged “financial criminals,” so to say. Is Okowa being witch-hunted or is he liable? However, two things are clearly certain. First, not all the high-profile offenders in Nigeria are in the EFCC net, and second, not everyone in the EFCC net is a financial criminal.

Take the case of Agunloye who was arraigned in January 2024 by EFCC with charges of awarding the construction of the Mambilla Hydroelectric Project, estimated at $6 billion, as a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) contract in 2003 without any cash backing. He was also charged for “taking bribes of N3.6 million and N500,000 in August and October 2019 respectively for the 2003 contract award”. In fact, for the BOT model of contract, the Federal Government was not to pay to procure the contract. It was the contractor who was expected to invest his own funds to construct and operate the hydroelectric dam as well as sell the electricity therefrom at a predetermined rate for 35 years to recoup his investments and profits. Also, as a matter of fact, FGN never paid the contractor in 2003 and has not made any payment to the contractor till now. The big revelation is that EFCC, on the 31st of October 2024 at a widely covered Press Conference, confirmed that the Federal Government of Nigeria wrongly charged the former minister Agunloye when it disclosed that EFCC also “charged former ministers Saleh Mamman and Olu Agunloye for misappropriating funds from the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project of N33.8 billion and $6 billion respectively”. EFCC has now admitted that it is prosecuting Agunloye for misappropriating $6 billion which has never existed. What is that? Witch-hunting? Or scape-goating? Or sacrifice-making?

Alhaji Ajila Sarafa.

Opinion

To A VeryDarkMan Who Lights Up A Dark Country, Respect

Published

2 days ago

November 13, 2024

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By Ikeddy ISIGUZO

You can also commit injustice by doing nothing. – Marcus Aurelius

PITCH darkness descends on Nigeria regularly enough that disconcerting as it is, darkness may be a distinguishing Nigerian feature that is not about to go away. Fewer places reflect the darkness, the neglect of the Nigerian society, than the fullsomeness of the energies for dispensation of injustice.

The entry of a young man, 30, more popularly known as VeryDarkMan, is pointing the light to some of the more embarrassingly darkened sides of our justice system. We should be grateful to him for his disruptions.

Without him, the minors who the President, in a rare case of momentary wakefulness, released, would have had their trials continued under a serious charge of trying to overawe the President’s administration. Minors, as they were, sick, hungry, all the traces of their stresses in full view, were put away for 60 days to allow investigations. Their deemed sponsor is out of reach of the law or above it.

The minors harvested from Kano, Adamawa, other States in the North, and Abuja, for waving Russian flag during their agitation against bad governance, and the increasing hardship in the country, were expected to bail themselves with N10 million each, and have senior civil servants guarantee they would not run away. They need N710 million to get out of detention.

The release and acquittal of the 71 teenagers, mostly beggars picked from the streets, to the Kano State government, is said to be a significant victory for human rights. We joke too much, too often. They had been held since August 2024.

Nobody did anything to release them. They had been forgotten. VeryDarkMan’s momentary detention was the opportunity that beamed the light on the dark recesses of Nigeria’s justice administration.

How many others who cannot afford the price of justice are still held illegally? Some minors, some adults?

The police, the Ministry of Justice, the judge, and all the routes that the children passed to jail, ignored the fact the arrested were children.

VeryDarkMan shouted enough that the next time they were in court, pictures and videos of their fainting went viral. They were hungry. They were sick. They were probably knocking on the doors of death.

Marcus Aurelius whose regnal name was Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus, was a stioc philosophy, a Roman Emperor from 161 to 180, a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was among the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, during which there was relative peace, calm, and stability for the Roman Empire from 27 BC to 180 AD.

He expects us to act in the face of a crime or brutal act. If we do not act, Marcus would rate our inaction a form of injustice.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu put it more succinctly. “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor”.

We in different ways failed the minors charged to court in Abuja. They had no business being in jail and undergoing those dehumanising treatments that would stick with them for life. The courts were guilty.

Nigeria failed them particularly those who surround the President. They do too much worsening the public’s perception of the President. Not surprisingly, these same fellows are defending the arraignment of minors.

VeryDarkMan embarrassed them by asking for justice for the children. It was not long before people were questioning VeryDarkMan’s qualifications to dabble into human rights. He told them he had secondary school certificate. It was a disclosure that cut short whatever mischief they intended.

With all their education, their understanding of law and order, our Ministry of Justice easily mixing justice with injustice as they kept those children away for months. Who were they working for? Who do they account to? Is it enough to ask the children to go? With will be done to deter such official misbehaviour?

VeryDarkMan is the light that fights the pitch darkness that has seized the minds of the low and mighty in a mindless show of power, greed of immense dimensions, and the directionlessness that leads a nation that is speeding from one darkness to a worse one.

Who has forgotten the centres of concentric circles of conspiracies that cost Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, Chief Justice of Nigeria his plum job in 2017. None of the processes were followed. He was passed through the Code of Conduct Bureau, and sacked. The courts are now annulling the judgements.

No whimper was heard from the Senate which was in full session throughout the processes that terminated his appointment. The Senate confirms the appointment of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, who heads one of the three arms of our democratic government. Our neutrality, as Achibishop Tutu would say, convicts us.

There are more judges and higher ranking persons that the targeted injustices of the past and the times are affecting. Justice is far from everyone contrary to thinking that some are safe.

When the unjust act, they are blinded by motives. Justice Onnoghen in a minority, dissenting judgement, annulled the election of Umaru Yar’Adua as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2007. Onnoghen’s judgement voted in support of Muhammadu Buhari. It was the same Buhari that illegally sacked Onnoghen 10 years later.

Nigeria is bound by an uncaring leadership that cannot even care for itself. It is now impossible to stop the national grid from collapsing as if its constant collapse will increase our GDP. The administration unrelentingly feeds the public excuses for the unmitigated failure to supply electricity which is not even cheap.

Are we not expecting too much thinking that an administration that has made a policy of blaming everyone for everything will care for us? The issue is not that it will not – it simply cannot.

Perhaps VeryDarkMan would next beam his light on other abuses of our rights, while Marcus Aurelius still reminds us not to do nothing about injustices whether against us or other people.

Finally…

CHIEF Baltasar Ebang Engonga, the Equatoguinean whose private tapes almost got more attention than the US elections has proven that human beings can make something of anything. Engonga, the head of his country’s National Financial Investigation Agency, ANIF, is also head of the group that produced the thrilling 400 tapes that would have shaken the box office, stands by his story that participants in the tapes were not forced. I have heard several conclusions about the matter that introduced Equatorial Guinea. Not since the 2000 Olympics when Equatoguinean Eric Moussambani Malonga swam the 100 m freestyle on 19 September in a time of 1min 52.72 secs has the country attained monumental global attention. Moussambani had trouble concluding the race, but he set the record for the slowest time for the event. His time was more than twice regular times for the event. I doubt if we will ever know what Engonga did or understand it enough to pass a judgement.

YESTERDAY, Honourable Alexander Ikwechegh, the House of Representatives member for Aba North/Aba South returned to his constituency to share free petrol and kerosine. He no longer needs to apologise for slapping an Abuja uber driver Mr. Stephen Abuwatseya thrice. After waking Nigerians up to another shade of the oppression we face, Abuwatseya has apologised to Ikwechegh and absolved him of any wrong-doing. The cab man even said he should be blamed for provoking the lawmaker. I apologise for VeryDarkMan who the case wings to fly. VeryDarkMan has already apologised to Ikwechegh. Congratulations, Honourable, there is no better time to commence the 2027 campaign than now.

WHAT did Americans do that is shocking Nigerians? Did we not vote for Muhammadu Buhari? Then followed it up with Bola Ahmed Tinubu? If you sequence a Donald Trump-Joe Biden-Trump administration, the dissonance would not be much different from what Nigerians are suffering. The only difference, though, is that America has standing institutions (they ceased to be strong a while ago) that Trump cannot trample on, completely.

THOSE against Senator Remi Tinubu, the President’s wife, and Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser leading national prayers as the elixir for national security and the tough times, in a week that Peter Obi suggested that productive hours should not be invested in prayers, have more work to do. Since we delight in citing foreign examples to support things we want to foist on others, how are these important national policies managed elsewhere?

• ISIGUZO is a major commentator on minor issues

Opinion

Governor Okpebholo: A bright Edo beckons

Published

3 days ago

November 12, 2024

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Governor Monday Okpebholo

By Fred Itua

Sophocles, a Greek philosopher and writer in his Play, Antigone, noted: ‘I have nothing but contempt for the kind of governor who is afraid, for whatever reason, to follow the course that he knows is best for the State.
’As Senator Monday Okpebholo assumes office today as the 6th elected Governor of Edo State, Sophocles’ sacred letters ring out loud.
Okpebholo’s emergence as the Governor of Edo State is both symbolic and historic. First, it has eclipsed the long marginalisation of the Esan (Ishan) ethnic group. In the last 33 years, the ethnic group, despite its cerebral population, has only held sway as managers of the State for an infinitesimal period of one year and six months.
Today, Edo people have proven to the rest of the world that everyone in the State matters.
Senator Okpebholo is not oblivious to the enormous tasks ahead of him. He is not also unaware of the damage the eight years of cankerworms and caterpillars Godwin Obaseki ruinously brought upon Edo people. Okpebholo may not have the full grapse of Obaseki’s damage yet. He is, however, ready to change the narratives, notwithstanding.
The emergence of Senator Okpebholo signals a new era of hope, progress, and transformative leadership. Born from humble beginnings, Okpebholo’s journey is a testament to the power of resilience, determination, and unwavering commitment to service. Despite the financial constraints faced by his family, his parents instilled in him the values of hard work, honesty, and perseverance. These early lessons would shape his character and lay the foundation for his future successes
Upon laying a strong foundation, Monday Okpebholo ventured into the world of business with a bold vision and unwavering determination. Drawing upon his innate entrepreneurial spirit and keen business acumen, he established successful ventures across various industries.
Through strategic decision-making, innovation, and a commitment to excellence, Okpebholo’s businesses flourished, creating jobs, driving economic growth, and contributing to the socio-economic development of Nigeria and Edo State.
Motivated by a desire to effect positive change and uplift the lives of his fellow citizens, Okpebholo transitioned into the realm of politics and public service. Recognising the need for visionary leadership and principled governance, he answered the call to serve his kinsmen and champion the aspirations of the people. As the Senator representing Edo Central Senatorial District, Monday distinguished himself as a principled leader, a tireless advocate for justice and equality, and a voice for the voiceless.
As a Governor, his conviction will be grounded in a profound commitment to the people of Edo State and a bold vision for the future. He envisions a State where every citizen has access to quality education, healthcare, and economic opportunities.
His economic blueprint prioritises job creation, infrastructural development, and investment in key sectors, such as agriculture, technology, and tourism.
Okpebholo is a firm believer in the transformative power of good governance, transparency, and accountability. He has pledged to govern with integrity, fairness, and inclusivity, ensuring that the voices of all Edo citizens will be heard and adequately represented.
Central to Okpebholo’s leadership philosophy is a deep-seated belief in servant-leadership and people-centred governance. He understands that leadership is not about wielding power or advancing personal agendas but about serving the needs and interests of the people.
Senator Okpebholo will lead by example and demonstrate humility, empathy, and a genuine concern for the welfare of his constituents – Edo people. He will foster collaboration, dialogue, and consensus-building and recognise that collective action is essential for driving meaningful change and progress.
Okpebholo’s vision for Edo State is grounded in a grassroots approach that prioritises community engagement, outreach, and empowerment. He understands the importance of connecting with people on a personal level, listening to their concerns, and earning their trust.
Okpebholo represents the embodiment of hope, progress, and transformative leadership. His life story, marked by resilience, determination, and a commitment to service, resonates with the aspirations of the people of Edo State.
With his vision, integrity, and proven track record of success, Okpebholo is poised to lead Edo State into a new era of prosperity, unity, and inclusive development.
As the Governor of Edo State, he will not retreat and place his responsibilities on the shoulders of others. He will make tough decisions that will move Edo forward. Unlike Obaseki, who earned himself a name as the most famous MoU Governor, Okpebholo will rely on the expertise of the vibrant Edo State Civil Service and other capable hands he will hire to drive home his agenda for the Heart Beat of the Nation.
Okpebholo repeatedly assured during the campaigns that ‘Edo will witness a new development. This is the time the civil servants in the state will have a free hand and enjoy their job. There will be no consultants coming from somewhere to do their jobs. We will give them a chance to do their job. Their salaries would be guaranteed and no one would reduce their salary.’
As an ICT guru, Okpebholo will harness the skills of Edo entrepreneurial youths and make the State the hub of IT experts in the West of the Savanah. Under his watch as Governor, the vibrant youths of Edo will be put to gainful use and add to the growth and prosperity of the State.
No section, ethnic group, or religious aligners will be left out in Okpebholo’s Government. With him as the Captain of the ship, Edo State will berth successfully, and the people shall echo the Book of Proverbs 29:2, that ‘When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.’

Rohini Nilekani, an Indian writer, author, and philanthropist, posited that ‘As citizens, we have to co-create good governance, we cannot outsource it and hope to be passively happy consumers. Like everything worth its while, good governance must be earned.”

What more can I add than to urge Edo sons and daughters to rally behind their worthy son, Okpebholo. He will make Edo State safe and great again.

From the Kukuruku Hills in Iyamho to the Anthills in Udomi; vast arable lands in Sobe, to the oil-rich Gele Gele; fear not! With Governor Monday Okpebholo, AKA, Akpako-Messiah, help has come!

As a Christian, I offer this prayer from the second stanza of a hymn, titled Abide With Me by Henry Francis Lyte for Governor Okpebholo.

‘Abide with me, fast falls the eventide. The darkness deepens Lord, with me abide. When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.’

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, rest and abide with Governor Monday Okpebholo, now and forevermore, amen.

Long Governor Okpebholo!
Long live Edo State!
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!

Fred Itua is the spokesman to Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo