President Bola Tinubu has called on the people of Edo State to re-elect him in 2027, saying he needs a second term to finish the developmental projects his administration has started in the state.
The President, represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, made the appeal on Thursday during an All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council rally in Benin City.
“We have come this far with your trust, and we seek your mandate to finish the work we have begun,” Shettima told the crowd.
He said while some projects are already finished, others are still in progress. He noted that the administration wants to be judged by the actual impact of its work on the lives of the people.
“We are determined to build roads on which a trader and aggregator could no longer lose money to delays,” he said.
Shettima said work has started on the dualisation of the roads to Ekpoma, Auchi, and Okene, while emergency repairs are currently being carried out on the Benin–Asaba road.
“You have every right to hold us to our word until you can travel these roads in comfort,” he added.
On the power sector, the Vice-President said gas is now flowing through the completed Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) pipeline, and that new transmission lines are expected to add 600 megawatts to the national grid.
Speaking on healthcare, he said the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) now provides radiotherapy to cancer patients, adding that the Federal Government has supported 158 public health facilities across the state.
He also touched on the return of the Benin Bronzes, noting that progress has been made with institutions in Cambridge and Sweden transferring ownership of the artifacts back to Nigeria.
Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo asked the Vice-President to take a message of readiness back to the President.
“I need you to take this message back to Mr. President: in Edo State, we are ready. 16th January 2027,” Okpebholo said.
The Governor said the state has become a major construction site and praised Tinubu for his courage in removing the fuel subsidy and reforming the tax system.
The Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Abdulaziz Yari, said the party’s primary focus remains security.
“The first item on the agenda is saving lives and communities,” Yari said. He added that better security in the South-South has helped increase national oil production to about 1.8 million barrels per day. He said the party is aiming for two million votes from Edo.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio told the crowd that the state has already decided its path.
“The election in Edo is over,” Akpabio said. “We will vote massively for the President come 16th of January 2027.”
Akpabio listed several of the President’s interventions in the state, including the extension of the Lagos-Calabar Highway, the recruitment of over 500 forest guards, and the establishment of the 83 Division of the Nigerian Army in Edo.
Former Governor and Senator Adams Oshiomhole noted that the rally coincided with the second anniversary of Governor Okpebholo’s administration. He urged voters to support all APC candidates to ensure a smooth working relationship between the executive and the legislature.
“If you want to give APC one vote, give it to the President. If you want to give us more than that, please give all of us—the three senatorial candidates—your votes, because we need a cooperative Senate,” Oshiomhole said.
Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Hope Uzodimma, urged residents to ensure they collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from INEC.
“If you collect your permanent voter’s card, you have the weapon. The weapon we need on January 16 is the PVC,” Uzodimma said, adding that Okpebholo has promised to deliver 2.5 million votes from the state.
