Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo and the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress have pledged to deliver 2.5 million votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, expressing confidence that the party will win the state and consolidate its support across the 18 local government areas.
According to a statement by the Edo State Government on Facebook, Okpebholo spoke on Tuesday during an APC mobilisation rally in Ologbo Wards 9 and 10, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, where he presented the party's candidates for the 2027 elections. The governor said the APC had established a strong structure across the state and was well-positioned ahead of the elections. He added that the mobilisation exercise was aimed at strengthening the party at the grassroots and securing support for its candidates, while urging members to remain united and committed to the party's programmes. Okpebholo presented Ogbeide Ihama for the Senate, Felix Igbinovia for the House of Representatives and Clement Ikponmwonsa for the House of Assembly. He urged members and supporters to work towards securing victory for the candidates and assured them that his administration would continue to work for the development of the state. The governor also thanked the electorate for supporting his administration and expressed confidence that the party would consolidate its support across the state. He thanked residents for attending the rally in large numbers despite the rainfall and prayed for God's blessings upon them.
Speaking at the rally, the Edo APC Chairman, Jarrett Tenebe, said the party was targeting 2.5 million votes for Tinubu in the state in the 2027 general elections. Tenebe said the party leadership had commenced mobilisation across the 18 local government areas to achieve the target, and that the governor and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, had been visiting communities and engaging with party members to strengthen the party ahead of the elections. He urged members to work collectively towards achieving the party's electoral objectives.
The pledge is not the first time Okpebholo and the Edo APC have committed to the 2.5 million vote target. In March 2026, the governor vowed to deliver the figure while receiving defectors from major parties in the state. In May, he declared that the promised votes for Tinubu remained "settled and achievable". In June, he linked the projection to projects being undertaken by his administration. On September 4, he charged the newly inaugurated chairmen of the 18 local government areas to work towards the target.
The party has cited its performance in the recent local government elections as evidence that the target is within reach. Recent reports put the party's claimed figure from the poll at 2,158,600 votes. Tenebe said this showed that the 2.5 million votes was "very achievable". The Edo APC chairman has also expressed his determination in strikingly personal terms. In an interview on TVC News, Tenebe said, "Even if my hand is going to be an impediment for us not getting the 2.5 million votes we promised Mr. President, I will cut off the hand; even if it's my head, I will cut it off to ensure that we get it". He added that the issue for the APC was not simply whether Tinubu would win the 2027 election but the number of votes the president would secure across the states. "It is no longer whether the president will win. The president will win definitely but the numbers he's going to use in winning is what matters," he said.
The Director of Media of the Edo State Campaign Council, John Mayaki, has disclosed that the next phase of the mobilisation would involve a multi-layered structure extending from the state and local government levels to wards and polling units. "There are arrangements for unit-by-unit and ward-by-ward mobilisation. There are several layers of organisation on the ground," he said. "We will organise, mobilise and work at a scale proportionate to that ambition". Mayaki's comments came in response to criticisms by Rev. Olu Martins, who questioned the feasibility of the target and criticised the governor for attaching a specific figure to the votes he intends to mobilise for the President.
The mobilisation effort is part of a broader push by the APC to consolidate its position in Edo State ahead of the 2027 general elections, scheduled for January 16, with the governorship and state assembly elections following on February 6. President Tinubu is seeking a second term on the APC platform, while former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress, former Anambra Governor Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement are among the major challengers. The Edo APC's 2.5 million vote target is one of the more ambitious pledges made by any state chapter of the ruling party, and it places significant pressure on Okpebholo and the party machinery to deliver a decisive margin in a state that has historically been competitive.
For the people of Edo State, the coming months will determine whether the promised mobilisation translates into the kind of overwhelming support the party is projecting, and whether the development projects Okpebholo has cited as the foundation of his appeal resonate with voters. For Tinubu's re-election campaign, a strong performance in Edo would provide valuable momentum in the South-South, a region where the opposition has made significant inroads in recent elections. As Tenebe put it, the question is no longer whether the President will win, but by how many votes. Edo, he insists, will deliver 2.5 million of them.
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