Edo Gov. Okpebholo Nominates Oshiomhole’s Son as Commissioner to Compensate Oshiomhole, His godfather

Newly sworn-in Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo has appointed Cyril Adams Oshiomhole as Commissioner of Health a few hours after assuming office. The appointment, believed to be a move to compensate Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Cyril’s father, was among the first three appointments he made as governor after he assumed office yesterday.

Okpebholo also appointed Barrister Musa Ikhilor as the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and nominated Samson Osagie as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice. However, the two nominations await confirmation by the Edo State House of Assembly.

This move by Okpebholo is a nod to the political influence of Senator Oshiomhole, who preceded the outgoing governor, Godwin Obaseki and remains an influential figure in Edo politics. Oshiomhole, during the election, was the voice behind Okpebholo’s campaign, to the extent of making harsh statements about the incumbent governor Obaseki not having children.

Despite not running themselves, Oshiomhole and Obaseki supported their chosen candidates during the governorship race.

Meanwhile, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has announced it is investigating complaints submitted against officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regarding the recent governorship election in Edo State.

ICPC spokesperson, Demola Bakare, confirmed that several petitions from election observers have been received, raising concerns about alleged irregularities during the election in which Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared the winner on September 21.

It will be recalled that West Africa Weekly reported that a forensic expert claimed INEC actively rigged the 2024 Edo election.

Martins Obono, Executive Director of the TAP Initiative, accused Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of enabling and actively rigging the 2024 Edo State governorship election.

He made this known while on Arise Television’s The Morning Show, presenting what he described as “damning, incontrovertible evidence” implicating INEC in an elaborate scheme that threatens Nigeria’s democratic integrity.

Obono brought forward a series of documents alleging significant discrepancies between certified true copies (CTCs) of polling unit results issued by INEC and the documents uploaded to INEC’s own iREV portal.

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Oluwasegun Sanusi

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