,,,,,Ganduje, Oshiomhole Hail Okpebholo’s Leadership.
By Ikhili Ebalu, Benin City
In a major political shake-up ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly (EDHA), Rt. Hon. Blessing Agbebaku, along with other key political figures, has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), signaling a dramatic realignment of power in the state.
The National Chairman of the APC, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who was represented by the party’s National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, described the mass defection as a clear indication that the APC is reclaiming Edo from years of PDP control.
He commended Governor Monday Okpebholo for spearheading what he termed a political revival that has returned the state to the mainstream of national politics.
“The APC has moved from minority to majority in the Edo State legislature, and this momentum will carry us into a victorious 2027,” Ganduje stated during the official reception of the defectors in Benin City.
Among those who joined the ruling party are 192 councilors, 17 local government chairmen, and influential PDP stalwarts, including former Deputy Speaker Hon. Roland Asoro, former House Majority Leader Hon. Nosa Nosayaba, and former PDP State Secretary Gabriel Oloruntoba.
Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Speaker Agbebaku said aligning with the APC under Governor Okpebholo’s leadership was necessary to ensure development across the state.
“If I fail to join the APC, isn’t that witchcraft?” he quipped, calling on his remaining colleagues in the House to follow suit.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole, a former governor of the state, praised Governor Okpebholo for restoring APC’s political dominance and blamed the previous administration under Governor Godwin Obaseki for relegating the party to the opposition.
“Edo is back on track with the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda of President Bola Tinubu,” Oshiomhole declared.
Governor Okpebholo, visibly buoyed by the wave of defections, expressed confidence in the APC’s prospects in Edo and beyond. He called on all Edo citizens to rally behind the party ahead of the 2027 presidential election, stating that the state’s support for Tinubu’s re-election is “a sealed deal.”
With the APC now controlling 18 out of 24 seats in the EDHA, political observers say Edo is on the cusp of a new era,one that could redefine the balance of power in the South-South geopolitical zone.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
