Okpebholo appoints 4,800 aides after acknowledging APC members for Edo victory (video)

• Edo Governor Monday Okpebholo approved 4,800 Special Assistant positions, with 25 allocated to each of the state's 192 wards.

• Okpebholo told APC members that the appointments recognise their collective effort in securing the party's electoral victory.

• APC Chairman Jarret Tenebe said a committee would work with wards to select nominees according to set guidelines.

Edo State Governor Senator Monday Okpebholo has approved the appointment of 4,800 Special Assistants (SAs).

Okpebholo announced the approval on Monday, August 10, 2026, during a meeting with APC members from the state's 18 local government areas at the Government House in Benin City.

He told the All Progressives Congress (APC) members that the appointments recognise their collective effort in securing the party's electoral victory.

The announcement means that 25 Special Assistants will be allocated to each of Edo's 192 wards, according to Edo APC Chairman Jarret Tenebe.

The governor presented the appointments both as part of his administration's plan to take governance to the grassroots and as recognition of APC members’ contribution to the party's victory.

Addressing the gathering, Okpebholo reaffirmed his loyalty to the ruling party and told members that the APC victory was a collective achievement.

“I want to say good morning to everybody and tell you that I love you all. I want to let you know that the party is our party. We don’t have any other party than APC,” he said.

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He then linked the 4,800 appointments directly to the work done by party members.

“Appointing 4,800 SAs is not an issue at all because we all worked for this victory. The victory does not belong to Okpebholo alone,” Okpebholo said.

The governor also said the appointments were intended to ensure that government programmes, opportunities and development reach communities beyond the state capital.

“So, we are taking governance to the grassroots so that whatever is from the top will also go down to the bottom,” he said.

The announcement was made in the presence of APC ward chairmen, members of the party's State Working Committee, Deputy Governor Dennis Idahosa, Chief of Staff to the Governor and other party representatives from across the state. 

Tenebe subsequently explained how the 4,800 positions would be distributed.

According to him, 25 SAs will be selected from each of the 192 wards, producing the total of 4,800 appointments.

He said the meeting was convened partly to explain the criteria and guidelines that would be used to select beneficiaries.

“In his magnanimity, the governor has decided to appoint 25 SAs in each of the wards in 192 wards across the state,” Tenebe said.

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He added that the APC State Working Committee had constituted a committee to work with the wards, ensure compliance with the selection guidelines and compile the names of qualified nominees before forwarding them to the party headquarters in Benin City. 

The process therefore appears to be at the selection stage, rather than a situation where 4,800 named individuals have already been formally unveiled.

The scale of the announcement is significant. If the stated allocation is followed, every ward in Edo State will have 25 people designated as Special Assistants, creating a large grassroots political and administrative network across the state.

Tenebe praised Okpebholo's administration for what he described as efforts to reposition and strengthen the APC in Edo.

He said the party had become more active and stable under the governor and that the administration had created opportunities for party members to participate in governance.

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The APC chairman also disclosed that the state government had supported APC candidates in the local government elections, including councillors and council chairmen, describing the measures as part of efforts to strengthen the party's grassroots structure. 

Okpebholo won the September 21, 2024, Edo governorship election on the APC platform with 291,667 votes, defeating Peoples Democratic Party candidate Asue Ighodalo, who polled 247,274 votes, while Labour Party candidate Olumide Akpata received 22,763 votes. 

The Independent National Electoral Commission declared Okpebholo the winner on September 22, 2024.

His administration is now seeking to deepen the APC's presence at the ward level while describing the new appointments as a means of extending government programmes and opportunities to communities.