By Ayodele Quadri, Lagos Times Correspondent
BENIN CITY, NIGERIA — Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has defended his decision to appoint 4,000 Special Assistants (SAs), describing the action as a necessary step toward extending governance to the grassroots and rewarding party members for their collective effort.
Speaking during a meeting with All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders from all 18 local government areas at the Government House in Benin City, the governor emphasized that the APC’s electoral victory belonged to the entire party structure rather than his individual effort.
Key Highlights
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Grassroots Inclusion: Governor Okpebholo stated that distributing thousands of aide positions ensures that state-level resources, political inclusion, and governance benefits reach the ward levels across all local council areas.
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Collective Ownership: Addressing party members, the governor noted that the appointment drive serves to acknowledge the grassroots mobilization and hard work of party faithful during the election.
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Party Leadership Reaction: Edo APC Chairman Jarret Tenebe commended Okpebholo’s approach, arguing that integrating party members into formal political roles stabilizes the party structure and enhances local political participation.
“Appointing 4,000 SAs Is Not An Issue At All”
“Appointing 4,000 SAs is not an issue at all because we all work for this victory. The victory does not belong to Okpebholo alone and I thank party members for their support. So we are taking the governance to the grassroots, so that whatever is from the top will also go down to the bottom.” — Senator Monday Okpebholo, Governor of Edo State
“The APC has become more active and stable under Okpebholo’s administration… The governor has created opportunities for party members to participate in governance and benefit from the dividends of democracy at the grassroots.” — Jarret Tenebe, Edo APC State Chairman
