Incoherent Governor Okpebholo struggles to pronounce budget amount

“The Edo state 2025 appropriation bill of six billion, six hundred and five billion, seventy-six million, seventy-six.. let me take it again,” the Edo governor rambled.

News Agency of Nigeria • December 11, 2024

Edo governor presenting 2025 budget

In a dramatic moment on Tuesday, Governor Monday Okpebholo struggled to read the total budget figures during his presentation before the Edo House of Assembly.

Mr Okpebholo, who has three different birth dates, a controversy exposed during his campaign for governorship, fumbled and rambled as he struggled to read the budget amount.

“The Edo state 2025 appropriation bill of six billion, six hundred and five billion, seventy-six million, seventy-six.. let me take it again. Five hundred and six billion, sorry, six hundred and five billion, seven hundred seventy-six million, sorry it is confusing me,” Mr Okpebholo rambled.

The governor’s incoherence sparked laughter among lawmakers until the speaker, Blessing Agbebaku, called for calm.

After the speaker’s intervention, Mr Okpebholo quickly summarised his budget speech, saying, “Six hundred and five billion and details of the budget proposed, a proposal for your consideration and approval. Thank you.”

During his campaign for the Edo governorship, Peoples Gazette reported how Mr Okpebholo submitted falsified birth records to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Mr Okpebholo supplied conflicting dates of birth from a sworn declaration of age and academic records in Form EC-9 (affidavit of personal particulars) he presented to the electoral office as a candidate in the September 21, 2024, gubernatorial election. All contenders for elected office are required by law to file Form EC-9.

In his March 24, 2024, submission to INEC, Mr Okpebholo stated under oath that his date of birth was August 29, 1970. This was affirmed in a statutory declaration of age affidavit by his brother, Ojeifo Joseph Okpebholo.

However, in Mr Okpebholo’s West African School Certificate result obtained in 2008 and submitted to INEC on March 24, the politician listed his date of birth as August 29, 1972, contradicting the 1970 date in his INEC filings.

In another filing, Mr Okpebholo’s voter registration profile on the INEC portal showed his date of birth as August 1, 1977, representing a third conflicting date.

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