I’ll Resign If Edo Doesn’t Give Tinubu 3.5 Million Votes in 2027 — Governor Okpebholo

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has declared that he would resign from office if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu fails to secure 3.5 million votes from the state in the 2027 presidential election.

The governor made the bold assertion during an interview on TVC, where he expressed confidence that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would deliver what he described as an “overwhelming victory” for the president in the forthcoming polls.

According to Okpebholo, residents of Edo State are eager to re-elect President Tinubu as a gesture of gratitude and confidence in his leadership. He also linked his own political acceptance to that of the president, insisting that Tinubu enjoys massive popularity across the state.

“If you will vote for me, they will first vote for President Tinubu. We promised 3.5 million votes, and we are not joking about it,” the governor declared.

He added that the enthusiasm for Tinubu in Edo has reached levels that surpass even his own acceptance as the sitting governor.

“When I say everybody should be wearing Asiwaju Tinubu’s cap, there’s no difference between me and Asiwaju because anybody who does not love Asiwaju will not love me. Asiwaju is our father. He’s everywhere on the street. He is even more popular than me here in Edo now,” Okpebholo said.

The governor insisted that the APC enjoys total dominance in the state ahead of the 2027 elections, saying there is “no opposition” capable of stopping the sweeping support he believes the president will receive.

“You will see the result that will come out of Edo because there’s no opposition here. Everybody is for Asiwaju. The people will thank him with the votes. If he doesn’t win, I will resign,” he vowed.

Okpebholo further stated that the ruling party’s mobilisation across all 18 local government areas of the state has positioned it for a landslide victory in the general election.

Beyond electoral projections, the governor also used the interview to criticise his predecessor, former Governor Godwin Obaseki, accusing him of leaving behind what he described as “poor records” that have distanced him from the people of the state.

“Let him come here. Anytime he comes to Edo… where he is, he will be listening to me now. Let him come. I’m not fighting him, but the record will show whether he should come or not. He can’t come to Edo,” Okpebholo said.

He claimed that Obaseki’s administration failed to endear him to the populace, unlike his own, which he says enjoys the goodwill of both young and old.

“When children can stand to pray for me, no child would stand on the street to pray for Obaseki. No mother on the street will pray for Obaseki,” he added.

Governor Okpebholo’s comments are already generating reactions across political circles, with observers describing the 3.5 million vote target as an ambitious figure, considering the state’s voting population in previous elections. Nonetheless, the governor insists that the APC is firmly rooted in Edo and is prepared to rewrite the political history of the state in 2027.