Gov Okpebholo Wants To Bribe Our Lawmakers Into Joining The APC With N2.8bn – PDP
The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused Governor Monday Okpebholo of intending to misuse the amount of N2.8 billion to incentivize opposition lawmakers in the State House of Assembly to switch their allegiance to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
This accusation was articulated in a statement issued by Chris Nehikhare, the Publicity Secretary of the Edo PDP Caretaker Committee. According to Didactic Information Hut, the House comprises 24 members, including 13 from the PDP and one from the Labour Party. Nehikhare further claimed that Okpebholo’s alleged plan to allocate substantial funds for bribing lawmakers comes at a time when the state is grappling with issues of insecurity, including frequent killings and the kidnapping of farmers and other residents.
The statement dated March 6, 2025 was titled, ‘Edo PDP condemns Okpebholo’s N200M bribery ploy to buy defection of each assembly member. A reckless misappropriation of state resources’.
He said, “The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is aware of the ploy by Senator Monday Okpebholo to splash N200 million each to induce members of the Edo State House of Assembly elected on the PDP platform to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“We condemn in the strongest terms Senator Okpebholo’s desperate plans to squander the resources of the people of Edo State on political horse-trading for his own survival, while critical sectors of the state remain in dire need of government intervention.
“In the last few weeks alone, at least 34 innocent Edo citizens have allegedly been brutally murdered across various communities in the State as a result of rising insecurity. While properties worth millions of naira have been destroyed on the back of the ongoing security crisis.
“Small and large-scale farmers are being displaced daily, more communities are being sacked by rampaging kidnappers and herders, while others, including the city centre is being overrun by non-state actors, leaving residents in fear and economic activities disrupted.
“The state is currently grappling with severe infrastructure decay due to neglect. The health sector is in shambles, with hospitals and clinics lacking essential medical supplies, including the Edo Specialist Hospital, where even the most basic consumables are unavailable. More youths now look up to thugs as role models because the government has failed to provide meaningful opportunities for their engagement.
“Unfortunately, amidst all these challenges, Okpebholo’s only concern is his political survival, as he schemes, along with his many political godfathers, to squander billions of naira that should be used to improve the lives of Edo people, on inducing Assembly members to defect to the APC.
“This is executive rascality at its peak and we dare say that this brazen act of corruption and reckless misplacement of priorities is shameful and unacceptable.
“We are not however surprised by Okpebholo’s alleged insatiable appetite for power at the expense of development and security of the State, having come to the office unprepared through the backdoor,” he alleged.
He urged all conscientious individuals in Edo, along with civil society organizations and anti-corruption bodies, to take a stand against the purported misuse of authority and the reckless misappropriation of state funds. He reiterated that their party remains resolute in the face of the alleged nefarious activities of the governor and the QPC within the state. Didactic Information Hut notes that on March 3, 2025, the party accused Okpebholo of allegedly withdrawing N750 million each month as a security vote, despite the state becoming a refuge for kidnappers and other criminal organizations. The party claimed that these criminal groups operate without fear of repercussions, exploiting the worsening security conditions, while residents and business owners endure ongoing anxiety. In response to these allegations, Paul Ohonbamu, the Edo State Commissioner for Information and Communication, suggested that if opposition legislators were to leave their political party, it would not be due to any financial incentives as claimed by the PDP spokesman, but rather because they are disillusioned with their current alliances.
Ohonbamu in a statement dated March 7, 2025 and titled, “Nehikhare’s Defection Story: A lie by the Dead PDP in Edo State’, observed that the grievances expressed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state will not aid the political party in overcoming the significant departure of its members to the All Progressive Congress (APC). There are compelling signs suggesting that the PDP may soon become nonviable in the state, and no amount of disparaging campaigns or assaults on the Okpebholo administration will rescue the party from this predicament.
The statement read, “It is not surprising to know that PDP members in the State House of Assembly are going to cross over to the All Progressives Congress, APC .
“Chris Nehikhare lamented in a statement titled, Edo PDP condemns Okpebholo’s N200M bribery ploy to buy defection of each Assembly member, reckless misappropriation of state resources
“For the information of Edo People, The Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo will not give any money to induce members of the Edo State House of Assembly elected on the PDP platform to defect to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
“Interestingly, if PDP members in the State House of Assembly decide to defect, it is nothing but survivalist strategy, because Godwin Obaseki destroyed the Party with his bad and wicked policies which apparently led to the defeat of their Governorship Candidate Asue Ighodalo at the polls.
“The fact remains that any discerning and credible politician in the state now knows where the pendulum is swinging to and like they say, failure is an orphan.
“Therefore, it is not strange if members of the House of Assembly want to be on the winning team, because of the good works of the governor which have become the magic wand.”
