The candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the September 21, 2024, Edo State Governorship Election, Senator Monday Okpebholo, continues to get the attention of electorates in the state and beyond, but on a negative side.
From revealing how he would inflate the prices of projects in the state to promising them insecurity, a guff that is beyond redemption. Whether his recent guffs are deliberate to get the attention of people, a political technique common to political office holders in Nigeria. Who is this man?
Growing up:
Okpebholo, who turned 54 on August 29, 2024, was born in the Udomi-Uwessan community of Irrua. After completing his elementary education at Udomi Community Primary School, he proceeded to Ujabhole Community Secondary School, both in Uwesan Irrua, Esan Central LGA.
He didn’t complete his secondary school in Edo as he proceeded to Jos, Plateau State, where he wrote and passed his Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).
Foray into business
After his SSCE, he enrolled for computer skills in computer and took special interest in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and would later establish an ICT firm by the name Interweb Satcom Limited.
Interweb Satcom Limited later became a huge player in broadband sales and development. The company became well-known for digital hardware.
In September 2009, Vanguard reported that his company partnered with another giant Canadian tech company Juch Tech Incorporation, where his company won the IT Franchise for Africa
popularly called Akpakomiza by his admirers, the Edo Central Senator, also founded Chapman Computers Limited while in Jos, which became a household name in the ICT sector.
Chapman Computers Ltd works with telecommunication companies and network providers in Nigeria by providing services such as broadband Internet connectivity, mobile satellite services, VSAT private networks, wholesale Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services and disaster recovery.
Back to soon
After his business success, he went back to school by enrolling in the University of Abuja, where he obtained a degree in Business Administration. There are also reports that he recently enrolled for a Postgraduate programme in Policy and Leadership Studies in the same institutions.
Political journey
Before officially joining a political party, InfomediaNG gathered that he had two options on the table: APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). At some point, he took the later chieftain of PDP Chief Tony Anenih as his mentor.
After the death of Anenih in October 2018, he was closer to the former governor of Edo State, now a Senator, Adams Oshiomhole.
Winning Edo Central election
During the 2023 general elections, he obtained a nomination form to contest under APC for Edo Senatorial District, which he won.
Since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999, candidates of the PDP had won Edo Senatorial District, but Akpakomiza changed the status quo in 2023, by winning the area for APC. His predecessors are Professor Oserheimen Osunbor (1999-2007); Magnus Odion Ugbesia (2007-2015), and Clifford Ordia (2015-2023).
The result of the election conducted on February 25, 2023, which was announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) showed that Okpebholo came victorious with 41,334 votes, defeating his rivals from Labour Party, Osemeren Chirsten Omofoma, who scored 32, 574 votes, and PDP’s Kennedy Onochie Kanma, who garnered 25,225 votes.
And on June 13, 2023, he was inaugurated as a member of the 10th National Assembly in Abuja.
At the Senate, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Procurement, where he promised to end procurement fraud in government ministries, departments, and agencies.
Controversies
Since his sojourn to the political landscape, there has never been any form of financial mismanagement against him, however, his speeches and statements after winning the Edo State APC gubernatorial primary election (February 2024) have become more controversial.
Plan to spend N10M to claim N20M from FG
Monday Okpebholo started toeing the path of controversy during an interview with the BBC Pidgin, where he said he would fix all deplorable federal roads in the state. But he didn’t stop there, he capped it by saying he would claim double of the money spent from the Federal Government if elected the state governor.
He was reacting to a comment made by Governor Godwin Obaseki that he could not repair the Benin-Auchi, Benin-Sapele, and other federal roads because of the confusing position of the federal government.
Okpebholo said in the interview, “If I were him (Obaseki), if I put 10 million there (on federal roads), I will claim 20 million from the federal government.”
“I will provide you with insecurity”
He had earlier promised to deploy technology in fighting insecurity in the state during an interview, but in another campaign, which was held at Ovia-north LGA on September 5, 2024, he made headlines again when he said “we are going to provide you with insecurity”.
It was a mistake, which his political godfather Adams Oshiomhole, Edo North Senator, who was standing beside him, signalled to make corrections.
He later said, “We are going to provide you with security; we are going to fight insecurity.”
He is up against two other major contenders – Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) – in the September 21 guber election.
The APC candidate is married to Blessing Okpapi. Their marriage is blessed with two children.