Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has pledged that the people of Edo will deliver 2.5 million votes to President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Governor Okpebholo made this declaration while addressing party members and defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) at a town hall event in Okaijesan, Irrua, Esan Central Local Government Area.
He noted that the planned support for President Tinubu is a gesture to appreciate the positive changes seen in the state since the start of his tenure.
“In 2027, we will reward President Tinubu’s love for Edo with 2.5 million votes,” the governor stated. He added that the APC had become the engine for development in the state under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
However, the PDP’s caretaker committee in Edo State has reacted strongly to Okpebholo’s statement, calling it both unrealistic and misleading. In a statement issued by the committee’s Publicity Secretary, Chris Nehikhare, the PDP said the governor’s words insult the intelligence of Edo residents.
“We read with astonishment the laughable and utterly unrealistic statement credited to Senator Monday Okpebholo, where he promised to deliver 2.5 million votes from Edo State to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 election,” Nehikhare said.
He noted that Okpebholo had only managed to gather around 300,000 votes in his own election, despite having support from top APC leaders and heavy federal backing. He questioned how the same person could now claim he would deliver over 2.5 million votes, which is close to the total number of registered voters in the state.
The PDP spokesperson also noted that while citizens face economic struggles and worsening insecurity, the governor seemed more focused on gaining approval from Abuja rather than solving local problems. He described Okpebholo’s pledge as a “desperate attempt” to gain favor at the federal level.
