Edo Governor Okpebholo Defends Appointment of 4,000 Special Assistants, Pledges Grassroots Governance.

Edo Governor Okpebholo Defends Appointment of 4,000 Special Assistants, Pledges Grassroots Governance.

Edo State Governor Senator Monday Okpebholo on Monday described the appointment of 4,000 Special Assistants as “not an issue,” reaffirming his administration’s commitment to taking governance to the grassroots.

The governor spoke during a meeting with All Progressives Congress (APC) members drawn from the state’s 18 local government areas at the Government House in Benin City.

In a statement by his media aide, Patrick Ebojele, Okpebholo expressed appreciation to party members for their support and stressed the need for unity within the APC. He said his administration remained focused on strengthening the party and ensuring that development and opportunities flow from the state level down to the wards.

“I want to say good morning to everybody and tell you that I love you all. I want to let you know that the party is our party. We don’t have any other party than APC,” the governor said.

“Appointing 4,000 SAs is not an issue at all because we all work for this victory. The victory does not belong to Okpebholo alone and I thank party members for their support. So we are taking the governance to the grassroots, so that whatever is from the top, will also go down to the bottom.”

Earlier, APC state chairman Jarret Tenebe commended the governor for efforts to reposition and strengthen the party since assuming office. He said the APC had become more active and stable under Okpebholo’s leadership, adding that the governor had created opportunities for party members to participate in governance and benefit from the dividends of democracy at the grassroots.

Tenebe noted that the administration had also made provisions to enable the party to operate more effectively, including plans to provide a vehicle for party activities. He said several APC members had been considered for appointment as Special Assistants, attributing the development to the governor’s understanding of both politics and governance.

The chairman claimed the Okpebholo administration made history by stabilising the party to support APC candidates in the local government elections — including councillors and council chairmen — without requiring them to personally finance their campaigns.

He further stated that the APC recorded a total of 2,158,600 votes across Edo State, covering Edo North, Edo Central and Edo South, describing the figure as evidence of the party’s growing strength and grassroots presence.

Tenebe said the governor had approved the appointment of 25 Special Assistants in each of the 192 wards across the state. He explained that the meeting with ward chairmen and other party members was convened to communicate the criteria and guidelines for selecting beneficiaries.

“In his magnanimity, the governor has decided to appoint 25 SAs in each of the wards in 192 wards across the state. And that is the reason why we decided to invite ward chairmen and members to this meeting so we can tell you the criteria to select these people that will benefit from this appointment,” Tenebe said.

He disclosed that the APC State Working Committee had constituted a committee to interface with the various wards and ensure that the stipulated guidelines were followed. The committee would also ensure that the names of qualified nominees were properly compiled and communicated to the party headquarters in Benin City.

The meeting was attended by members of the APC State Working Committee, Deputy Governor Rt. Hon. Dennis Idahosa, State Chairman Jarret Tenebe, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, as well as ward and local government representatives. It is expected to deepen coordination between the APC leadership, the state government and the party structure at the ward and local government levels as the administration continues its grassroots mobilisation and governance agenda.