Okpebholo made budget error because he’s not a thief – APC Chairman

Jarrett Tenebe, the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, has come to the defense of Governor Monday Okpebholo after a stumbling moment during the presentation of the state’s 2025 budget proposal.

During Tuesday’s session with lawmakers, Governor Okpebholo struggled to articulate figures from the N605 billion appropriation bill, which he noted represents a 25 percent increase from the 2024 budget.

“The Edo State Appropriation Bill of six billion… 605 billion… 76 million…” the governor began, his voice unsteady. After several attempts to correct himself, he admitted, “Sorry, it’s confusing me.” The statement prompted laughter and murmurs from the assembly.

In response to the criticism that followed the incident, Tenebe defended the governor in a video, attributing the struggle with numbers to Okpebholo’s integrity and lack of involvement in corrupt practices.

“The social media has been agog with the governor’s budget presentation about the mistake on N605 billion and the rest of it all,” Tenebe said. “It’s a normal thing. People make such mistakes.

“I don’t know figures… and that’s how to know original and innocent people. Monday Okpebholo is not a thief, and he is not familiar with figures. Anybody who wants to talk and continue to talk is just spouting nonsense.”

Tenebe praised the governor’s performance and dismissed detractors, stating, “He is the governor of the state. He is performing and will continue to perform. Anyone who doesn’t like his face should go to hell and burn to ashes. Period!”

The APC chair’s comments sparked mixed reactions, with some applauding his loyalty to the governor and others questioning the justification for Okpebholo’s public mishap.