Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo has claimed that the victory of Labour Party candidate Peter Obi in the state during the 2023 presidential election was a direct protest against the poor performance of the previous administration.
Speaking during a media briefing in Benin City, Okpebholo argued that voters in the state backed the opposition not necessarily due to party loyalty, but as a rejection of former Governor Godwin Obaseki’s leadership. He alleged that the “Obidient” movement gained momentum in the region because residents felt abandoned by the state government.
“Peter Obi defeated President Bola Tinubu last time because the governor was not working. The governor, then under the PDP, was not working,” Mr Okpebholo stated in a Channels TV interview on Thursday.
Obi secured 331,163 votes to edge Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, who secured 144,471 votes in the last presidential election.
Okpebholo claimed that the former Anambra governor lacked the popularity and capacity to secure the needed votes in his state.
He said, “Nothing to be afraid of. What should I be afraid of them when I’m doing what the people want? People want APC in the state. Look at him (Obi) in his state. Can he even deliver his state?”
Asked how he would secure votes for Mr Tinubu in 2027, the governor stated, “You were on the street. Nobody told them we were coming. People were leaving their houses. And that is the vote. That’s how the vote is going to translate.”
Okpebholo added, “Because of the work we are doing, because of the money Tinubu is releasing to us to work for him, and that is what you are seeing on the street. It has never happened in Edo state like this before.
“Did you know there are so many tough decisions taken by this president that no man has been able to take in this country… Let’s talk about the removal of the fuel subsidy. No one could have the courage to do that.”
Okpebholo concluded by vowing to restore the APC’s dominance in the state through “people-centered projects” that would prevent a repeat of the 2023 electoral upset.
