Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has disclosed that he was persuaded by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest for the Edo Central Senatorial seat in the 2023 elections, despite not having any prior interest in politics.
Speaking at an event on Sunday, Governor Okpebholo shared that his entry into politics was not self-motivated but rather a response to appeals from the party, which lacked willing candidates for the senatorial race.
“I’m not the outspoken type, and I’ve never had a personal desire to venture into politics,” he said. “But I have a strong passion for seeing development in my community—that was my motivation. No one in the APC was ready to contest for the Senate, while in the PDP, people were fighting tooth and nail just for House of Assembly tickets.”
He went on to explain that his candidacy was the result of coordinated efforts by party leaders who encouraged him to take up the challenge.
“Three people came to my house and told me, ‘You must run for the Senate.’ That so-called rejected stone is now the one people are rallying behind. Today, everyone is turning toward the APC,” he said.
Governor Okpebholo also spoke about anticipated political realignments in the South-South region, predicting increased support for the federal government’s development goals.
“Soon, there’ll be political movement in every direction—people crossing over from other parties. This marks the beginning of the South-South uniting behind the transformation agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he added.