The governor says the appointments will take government programmes closer to wards while recognising APC members’ role in his electoral victory
Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo on Monday approved the appointment of 4,800 special assistants across the state’s 192 wards, saying the move would take government programmes closer to communities and deepen grassroots participation in his administration.
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Okpebholo announced the appointments during a meeting with members of the All Progressives Congress from Edo’s 18 local government areas at the Government House in Benin City.
The governor said the appointments were also intended to recognise the contribution of APC members to the party’s electoral victory, stressing that governance should extend beyond the state capital to the wards.
“So, we are taking governance to the grassroots, so that whatever is from the top will also go down to the bottom,” Okpebholo said.
“Appointing 4,800 SAs is not an issue at all because we all worked for this victory. The victory does not belong to Okpebholo alone.”
The scale of the appointments means that each of Edo’s 192 wards will receive 25 special assistants, according to APC state chairman Jarret Tenebe.
Tenebe said the decision was part of efforts to strengthen the party’s grassroots structure while creating a channel through which government initiatives could reach communities more directly.
The appointment plan also gives the party a central role in identifying potential beneficiaries.
Tenebe said the meeting with ward chairmen and other APC members was convened to explain the criteria and guidelines that would govern the selection process.
“In his magnanimity, the governor has decided to appoint 25 SAs in each of the wards in 192 wards across the state,” Tenebe said.
The APC State Working Committee has constituted a committee to work with the various wards and ensure that the selection process follows the agreed guidelines, he added.
The committee is expected to compile the names of qualified nominees and submit them to the party headquarters in Benin City.
The development represents a significant expansion of the governor’s grassroots political structure, with the 4,800 positions spread evenly across the state rather than concentrated in a small number of local government areas.
Tenebe praised Okpebholo for what he described as efforts to reposition the APC and make the party more active since his administration came into office.
He said the governor had created opportunities for party members to participate in governance and had supported measures aimed at strengthening the party’s operations at ward and local government levels.
Among those measures, Tenebe said, were plans to provide a vehicle for party activities and support for APC candidates who contested the local government elections, including councillors and council chairmen.
The APC chairman described the initiatives as part of a broader effort to consolidate the party’s grassroots presence and improve its ability to operate across the state.
The emphasis on ward-level participation comes against the backdrop of Edo’s 192 electoral wards, which provide the most immediate political and administrative link between communities and the state government.
For Okpebholo, however, the appointments were framed not only as a political reward but also as a mechanism for extending government programmes to communities.
His administration has repeatedly presented grassroots engagement as an important part of its approach to governance, with local political structures expected to help communicate government policies and programmes to residents.
The governor thanked APC members for their support and said the party’s victory was the product of collective effort.
“I want to let you know that the party is our party. We don’t have any other party than APC,” he said.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Governor Dennis Idahosa, Chief of Staff to the Governor, members of the APC State Working Committee, ward chairmen and other party representatives from the state’s 18 local government areas.
The next stage will be the selection of nominees in the individual wards, with the party committee expected to oversee the process and ensure that names submitted for the 4,800 positions meet the stated criteria.
The arrangement gives the appointments a clear ward-by-ward structure, while placing responsibility for identifying beneficiaries largely within the party’s grassroots organisation.
For an administration seeking to strengthen its presence beyond Benin City, the programme could provide a powerful network for taking government information and initiatives deeper into communities.
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Its effectiveness, however, will ultimately depend on how the appointments are implemented and whether the new aides translate their positions into meaningful engagement with residents.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
