Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo revealed that he had to personally purchase a new office chair after his predecessor, Godwin Obaseki, left with the official seat that bore Nigeria’s Coat of Arms.
Okpebholo made this disclosure during an interview on Politics Today, a Channels Television program, on Thursday evening. The governor, who took office after winning the September 22, 2024, election under the All Progressives Congress (APC), said he found the office without a chair upon assuming his duties.
“Even when I entered government, I had to use my money to buy my seat. Obaseki took his seat. The chair, yes. It was in the office with the Nigerian Coat of Arms. He took it. Somebody who can take an office chair, tell me what he will not take,” Okpebholo stated.
The governor also addressed the issue of investigating the previous administration’s financial activities. While he made it clear that he would not personally initiate a probe into Obaseki’s government, he noted that the system itself would investigate and recover any misappropriated funds.
“I am not the one probing them. The system will probe them. I’m telling you, so much money is tied to a different thing. Those monies will come out when the time comes. I’m not going to hide anything,” he said.
Okpebholo, who defeated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asue Ighodalo, with 291,667 votes to 247,655, attributed his victory to divine intervention. He insisted that his win was the result of the people’s desire for change rather than political influence from any godfather.
“Can you even point out one godfather who was pushing me?” he asked. “God was using people to help me, to support me, to get to where I am today.”
The governor further stated that Edo residents were eager for a new direction in governance, which played a crucial role in his election success.
“Let me tell you, Edo people spoke. We were hungry for a change. Even in the next 20 years, I will win,” he asserted.
