Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has defended his administration’s plan to appoint 4,000 Special Assistants across the state, saying the appointments are part of efforts to take governance and opportunities directly to the grassroots.
Okpebholo made the declaration on Monday while addressing members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, from the 18 local government areas of Edo State at the Government House in Benin City.
The governor, who appeared to dismiss concerns over the large number of appointments, said the planned appointment of 4,000 Special Assistants was justified by the collective efforts of party members in securing the APC’s electoral victories.
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“Appointing 4,000 SAs is not an issue at all because we all work for this victory. The victory does not belong to Okpebholo alone and I thank party members for their support,” he said.
The governor said the appointments were part of his administration’s strategy to extend governance beyond the state capital and ensure that government activities and opportunities reach communities at the ward level.
“So we are taking the governance to the grassroots, so that whatever is from the top, will also go down to the bottom,” he added.
The development means an average of more than 20 Special Assistants could be appointed in each of Edo’s 192 wards under the arrangement announced by the APC state leadership.
The party’s state chairman, Jarret Tenebe, disclosed that Okpebholo had approved the appointment of 25 Special Assistants in each of the 192 wards across the state, a figure that translates to 4,800 appointments if implemented fully.
Tenebe, however, said the party leadership had been mandated to establish the criteria for selecting those who would benefit from the appointments.
He said the meeting with ward chairmen and other party stakeholders was organised to explain the guidelines and ensure that the selection process was properly coordinated.
“In his magnanimity, the governor has decided to appoint 25 SAs in each of the wards in 192 wards across the state. And that is the reason why we decided to invite ward chairmen and members to this meeting so we can tell you the criteria to select these people that will benefit from this appointment,” Tenebe said.
The party chairman said the APC State Working Committee had constituted a committee to interface with the various wards and oversee compliance with the stipulated guidelines.
The committee, he added, would compile the names of qualified nominees and forward them to the party headquarters in Benin City.
Tenebe praised Okpebholo for what he described as efforts to reposition the APC and strengthen its grassroots structure since assuming office.
He said the administration had created opportunities for party members to participate in governance and benefit from the government’s programmes.
According to him, the administration had also made provisions to enable the party operate more effectively, including plans to provide it with a vehicle for its activities.
Tenebe further claimed that the administration had supported APC candidates in the local government elections, including councillors and council chairmen, without requiring them to personally finance their campaigns.
He described this as an indication of the governor’s understanding of the relationship between political organisation and governance.
The APC chairman also claimed that the party recorded 2,158,600 votes across Edo North, Edo Central and Edo South, describing the figure as evidence of its growing grassroots strength.
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Okpebholo, meanwhile, urged APC members to remain united, stressing that the party remained the vehicle through which his administration would deliver its programmes across the state.
“I want to say good morning to everybody and tell you that I love you all. I want to let you know that the party is our party. We don’t have any other party than APC,” he said.
The meeting was attended by the Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Dennis Idahosa; Tenebe; the Chief of Staff to the Governor; members of the APC State Working Committee; and ward and local government representatives.
