The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Edo State, Jarrett Tenebe, has defended Governor Monday Okpebholo following his struggle to articulate figures while presenting the 2025 budget proposal.
The incident occurred on Tuesday during a session with state lawmakers, where Governor Okpebholo presented the N605 billion appropriation bill, a 25 percent increase from the 2024 budget. However, his difficulty with the figures became evident as he spoke.
“The Edo State Appropriation Bill of six billion… 605 billion… 76 million…” the governor said, faltering. After several attempts to correct himself, he admitted, “Sorry, it’s confusing me,” a statement that elicited laughter and murmurs from the assembly.
Criticism of the governor’s performance quickly spread online, prompting Tenebe to address the issue in a video, where he attributed the governor’s struggle to his integrity and innocence in financial matters.
“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 stated. “It’s a normal thing. People make such mistakes.”
He added, “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 also praised the governor’s overall performance, defending his leadership and dismissing critics. “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!” he said.
