BENIN CITY — Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has said the state can deliver 2.5 million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election through what he described as the principle of “one man, one vote.”
Okpebholo made the statement in Benin City during a one-million-youth march organised by the City Boy Movement in support of his administration and Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The governor said Edo residents were beginning to appreciate what he described as the benefits of the economic reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration, particularly the increase in federal revenue available to states.
According to him, the increased revenue had enabled his administration to meet its growing wage obligations while also funding infrastructure and other development projects across the state.
“We are paying so much on salaries and at the same time, development is ongoing, projects are ongoing. Look at our flyover, if not for the reforms of the president, where will we get money for all this?” the governor said.
Okpebholo said the state’s monthly wage bill had risen to more than N7.8 billion, while his administration had also embarked on projects in the health and education sectors.
He said more than 108 primary healthcare centres had been built across the state since his administration assumed office.
On education, the governor said more than 87 primary and secondary schools had been renovated, while government subvention to higher institutions had increased from N41 million to more than N700 million.
“How could we have gotten this money, if not the man President Bola Tinubu that is courageous enough to have removed the fuel subsidy?” he asked.
Okpebholo also referred to Tinubu’s tenure as governor of Lagos State, arguing that the reforms implemented during that period demonstrated the president’s capacity for public-sector administration.
The governor criticised unnamed opposition politicians over their positions on fuel subsidy removal and accused them of benefiting from the previous subsidy regime.
He also questioned the record of some past political leaders in the management of public assets, without naming specific individuals.
Okpebholo has repeatedly expressed his ambition to secure 2.5 million votes from Edo for Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. He reiterated the target in September while addressing newly elected chairmen and vice chairmen of the state’s 18 local government areas.
At the youth march, a representative of the organisers commended the governor over what he described as improvements in security across Edo, saying the development was contributing to investor confidence.
The representative said the march was organised to demonstrate support for Okpebholo and Tinubu and to mobilise youths for APC candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
The governor’s 2.5 million-vote target remains a political pledge. Previous reports have quoted opposition figures questioning the feasibility of the target, while Okpebholo and his supporters have continued to defend it.
