- Safiu Kehinde
It was a moment of tension in the situation room as minutes ticked to seconds. Feet swayed back and forth as anxiety grew over what was about to come. For party delegates and key players who believed they have done their assignments, they patted one another’s back, wearing a smile on their anxious faces.
However, amid the waiting crowd sat the man whose fate was to be unveiled in matter of seconds as the Returning Officer concluded the collation of all local government’s result. The odds were in his favour, but within this man cramped between his principals lies arrays of thoughts. It was a defining moment that can indeed bring a warrior to his knees.
Without further ado, the moment arrived. All eyes glued to the TV and all ears strained to catch every word as hush eloped the room.
“That Okpebholo Monday of APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.” Edo state Returning Officer, Prof. Faruk Kuta declared.
Jubilation, celebration, and felicitation took over the rest of the night as Okpebholo stood up and joined his excited comrade to celebrate his emergence as the new Edo state governor.
Now with the poll over, normalcy is gradually restoring to Edo state as the people set to being life under new regime to be led by Monday Okphebolo who is known to some and not to all. This boils down to the question, who is Monday Okpebholo?
Monday Okpebholo was born on the 29th August, 1970 in Udomi-Uwesssan community of Irrua, Esan Central Local Government Area of Edo state.
He began hiis academic pursuit in Udomi Community Primary school. His secondary education initially started at Ujabhole Community Secondary School located in Uwesan Irrua. However, he completed the secondary education at Jos, Plateau state, where he obtained his secondary school leaving certificate.
He continued his pursuit for knowledge in Abjua following his admission to the University of Abuja where he bagged a degree in Business Administration and later a Masters’ degree in Policy and Leadership Studies.
Okpebholo’s political journey began from grasroot politics. Following stints as councillor and local government chairman, upped his game, contesting for the Senate Seat in Edo Central senatorial district, under the All Progressives Congress (APC) and was elected on 25 February 2023. On 13 June 2023, he was inaugurated into the 10th National Assembly of Nigeria, as the senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, representing Edo Central senatorial district.
Barely a year in his senatorial office, the call for his state’s governoship came. He chose to take the mantle and contested for the All Progressive Congress (APC) Edo state governorship primary election.
On the 23rd of February, 2024, Okpebholo emerged winner of the Primaries with 12,433 votes, becoming APC’s flagbearer for the Edo governorship election. However, bearing the flag was not as easy as he thought.
The flag nearly cost him his life on the 18th of July, 2024, as he narrowly escaped assasination which claimed the life of his orderly.
In a statement issued the following day by the Director of Publicity, APC Governorship Campaign Council, Orobosa Omo-Ojo, Okpebholo was reportedly attacked when he arrived at the Benin Airport for his governorship campaign.
Despite the hurdle, Okpebholo held his ground with the support of the likes of the then embattled Deputy Governor of the state, Philip Shaibu, former governor, Adams Oshiomole, and other principal members of the APC.
He revealed the five cardinal programmes that make up the manifesto to be security, infrastructural development, education, agriculture and water provision, at the Edo South senatorial district governorship campaign flag-off of the party.
After months of heated campaigns and series of allegations, Okpebholo took to the poll on the 21st of September 2024 where he went head-to-head with the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Asue Ighodalo.
As curtain fell on the election on Sunday 22nd of September, 2024, Monday Okphebolo won the poll with 291,667 votes.