The Edo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Jarrett Tenebe, has defended Governor Monday Okpebholo after the governor faced public backlash for his inability to accurately read out the budget figures he presented to the Edo State House of Assembly.
Governor Okpebholo, at the presentation of the 2025 Budget proposals to the Edo State House of Assembly said the figures were confusing, and ended up unable to pronounce the exact figure, adding: “It’s confusing me.”
The governor, at the presentation of the 2025 Appropriation Bill on Tuesday, was spotted in a video unable to get the figures right.
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In the video, he said: “The Edo State 2025 budget… Appropriation Bill of six billion, sixty and fifty, six hundred five billion, seventy six thousand, seventy six million, seventy six… Let me take it again.
“Five hundred six billion, six hundred and five billion sorry, seven hundred, seventy six billion, sorry.
“It is confusing me.
“Ok six ….
“Six hundred and five billion and details of the budget propose, propose, proposal for your co-suggestion, consideration and approval.
“Thank you for your kind consideration.”
Reacting to the controversy, Tenebe dismissed the criticism as unfounded, arguing that the governor’s slip-up was a natural human error.
The APC Chair further justified Okpebholo’s inexcusable gaffes, saying he was unfamiliar with figures because he was not a thief.
According to him, the incident reflected Okpebholo’s integrity, contrasting him with past leaders in the state.
Tenebe further dismissed the backlash, insisting that critics focus on the governor’s performance rather than his error during the presentation.
His words: “The social media has been agog with our governor’s budget presentation, about mistake on N650 billion and the rest of it all. It is a normal thing. Zuma (former South African President Jacob Zuma) made such mistakes and a lot of people make such mistakes.
“I don’t know figures. You see, that is how to know original and innocent people. Obaseki (immediate past Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki) will not make such mistake because he has stolen billions before. Asue Ighodalo will not make such mistake because he has stolen billions before.
“Monday Okpebholo is not a thief, so he is not familiar with figures. So, anybody who wants to talk can continue to talk. It is nonsense.
“He is the governor of the state and he is the governor of the state. And he is performing, he is performing and he will continue to perform and anybody who does not like his face should go to hell and burn to ashes. Period!”
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