March 7, 2025 – The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused Governor Monday Okpebholo of planning to spend ₦2.8 billion to bribe opposition lawmakers in the State House of Assembly. The PDP alleges that the governor is attempting to lure lawmakers from the PDP and Labour Party to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) with a ₦200 million offer for each lawmaker.
The PDP’s Publicity Secretary, Chris Nehikhare, condemned the alleged scheme, calling it a reckless misappropriation of public funds at a time when the state is grappling with insecurity and economic hardship. Nehikhare stated, “We condemn in the strongest terms Senator Okpebholo’s desperate plans to squander the resources of the people of Edo State on political horse-trading for his own survival, while critical sectors of the state remain in dire need of government intervention”.
In response, the Edo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Paul Ohonbamu, dismissed the PDP’s claims as baseless, insisting that no money was being offered to lawmakers to defect. He described the PDP’s allegations as a “lie by the dead PDP in Edo State” and argued that lawmakers leaving the PDP were doing so of their own accord.
