{"id":126217,"date":"2026-03-20T06:32:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T05:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=126217"},"modified":"2026-03-20T06:32:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T05:32:12","slug":"edo-votes-not-for-sale-prp-chieftain-tackles-okpebholo-over-2-5m-votes-claim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/edo-votes-not-for-sale-prp-chieftain-tackles-okpebholo-over-2-5m-votes-claim\/","title":{"rendered":"Edo Votes Not for Sale, PRP Chieftain Tackles Okpebholo Over \u20182.5m Votes\u2019 Claim"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Tracy Moses<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">A former presidential aspirant and governorship candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) in Edo State, Patience\u00a0 Ofure Key, has criticised Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, over his reported pledge to \u201cdeliver 2.5 million votes\u201d for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general election.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Reacting in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, Key described the remark as unacceptable and undemocratic, insisting that votes in Edo State are neither for sale nor subject to political allocation.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cEdo votes are not for sale. Edo votes are not for delivery. Edo people are not political commodities,\u201d she said, stressing that no elected official has the authority to predetermine the will of the electorate.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She argued that citizens of the state must be treated as independent voters whose choices cannot be \u201cbought, packaged or transferred\u201d by any political actor.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Questioning the basis of the governor\u2019s claim, Key pointed to past election results in the state, noting that recent governorship elections recorded far lower figures than the 2.5 million votes being projected.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">According to her, Governor Okpebholo himself secured 291,667 votes in the 2024 governorship election, while his predecessor, Godwin Obaseki, polled 307,955 votes in 2020. She also recalled that the 2016 governorship election produced a winning tally of 319,483 votes.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cThese figures reflect the reality of electoral participation in Edo State. So, when anyone speaks of \u20182.5 million votes\u2019 as if it is a fixed deposit, the people are right to question whether this is political hype or something more troubling,\u201d she said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Key further advised the governor to prioritise governance over political projections, urging him to focus on improving security, infrastructure, healthcare, education, and economic opportunities in the state. \u201cHe should be governing, not making reckless political promises on behalf of the people,\u201d she added.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The PRP chieftain also warned against what she described as a growing culture of political entitlement among some leaders, cautioning that no individual or group has ownership over any state or its people.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cNigeria belongs to all Nigerians. Edo belongs to all Edo people. No one has the right to turn any state into a private political estate,\u201d she said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As preparations gradually build towards the 2027 general election, Key called on Nigerians to remain vigilant and resist any attempt to manipulate the democratic process.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">She urged citizens to defend their voting rights, reject inducement, and participate actively in shaping the country\u2019s political future.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cThe 2027 election is not just another contest. It is a defining moment for the future of our nation. Nigerians must refuse intimidation, reject political slavery, and stand firm in defence of their rights,\u201d she stated.<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Tracy Moses A former presidential aspirant and governorship candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) in Edo State, Patience\u00a0 Ofure Key, has criticised Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, over&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":126218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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