Edo 2024: Okpebhelo Given 24 Hours to Clarify His Promise of “Providing Insecurity”

• Senator Monday Okpebhelo mistakenly pledged to “provide insecurity” during a campaign rally, prompting demands for clarification within 24 hours
• The controversial statement has sparked outrage, with critics questioning Okpebhelo’s viability as a candidate for the upcoming governorship election

Senator Monday Okpebhelo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, has been given 24 hours to explain a controversial statement during a campaign rally. Okpebhelo mistakenly pledged to “provide insecurity” if elected in the upcoming September 21 election.

The incident occurred on Thursday at a rally in Ovia North Local Government Area. A video shared on Facebook captured when Okpebhelo misspoke while responding to concerns raised by Adams Oshiomhole, the senator representing Edo North, about the state’s security situation.

Reacting to the issues Oshiomhole and other speakers brought up, Okpebhelo said, “We’re going to provide you with insecurity.” Oshiomhole, standing beside him, quickly signalled for a correction, after which Okpebhelo amended his statement.

However, the statement has sparked controversy. On Sunday, Imman Ekpe, the national coordinator of The Edo Salvation Group (ESG), expressed concern over the viral video showing Okpebhelo’s apparent pledge to “provide insecurity” as governor. The group waited several days for Okpebhelo or his supporters, including Oshiomhole, to refute the video, but no denial came. They have since concluded that the video is genuine.

“Like many people involved in the Edo State project, we were alarmed by the video showing the APC governorship candidate, Senator Monday Okpebhelo, saying he would provide insecurity to his listeners,” Ekpe stated.

The ESG emphasized that this was not an isolated incident, highlighting other blunders made by Okpebhelo, such as suggesting that installing transformers would be the complete solution to the state’s electricity issues.

“These mistakes make it clear that Senator Okpebhelo is not a viable candidate. He could either be a puppet for Oshiomhole or end up delivering insecurity due to his errors and lack of understanding,” Ekpe argued.

The group now demands that Senator Okpebhelo appear on television within 24 hours to clarify his statement. If he fails, they have threatened to publicly denounce him as unfit for office.