President Bola Tinubu appears to have withdrawn his support for Monday Okpebholo, the APC governorship candidate in Edo State, amid ongoing controversies surrounding Okpebholo’s personal records and eligibility for the upcoming September 21st gubernatorial election.
Sources within Aso Rock reveal that President Tinubu is dissatisfied with the reports emerging from Edo State about Okpebholo. During a recent meeting with former Governor Adams Oshiomhole at the villa, Tinubu expressed his concerns about Okpebholo’s lackluster approach to the election. The President questioned why Okpebholo failed to complete his PVC registration process with INEC, especially knowing he would be contesting in September.
Okpebholo has been embroiled in multiple controversies, including a recent PVC forgery scandal that threatens his candidacy. Sahara Reporters exclusively revealed that Okpebholo’s name is absent from INEC’s official voter verification portal, indicating he is not registered to vote in any of Edo State’s 18 local governments, including his home local government of Esan Central.
The report highlighted that the details Okpebholo submitted in his Form EC9 affidavit, which was filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja and published by INEC, are not found on the commission’s voter verification portal.
“Baba is not happy with Okpebholo. He feels he is not a serious candidate given his seeming inability to get the party together to launch a campaign few weeks to the election. He is further displeased by the fact that Okpebholo could not even get registered for a Permanent Voters Card (PVC) to enable him to vote and be voted for in the State,” an insider disclosed.
The source also hinted that President Tinubu is exploring other options, considering his longstanding personal relationships with Asue Ighodalo and his business ties with Akpata, dating back to his tenure as Governor of Lagos State.
Meanwhile, a civil rights group, Action Africa for Electoral Reforms & Good Governance (AAERG), has called on the Inspector General of Police to investigate the PVC forgery allegations against Okpebholo. In a statement released in Abuja by the group’s country lead, Josiah Oladeinde, AAERG emphasized that voting without registration is a crime under Section 114(g) of the Electoral Act. They demanded that Okpebholo be arrested, prosecuted, and jailed if found guilty.