Edo APC chairman Jarrett Tenebe has said Governor Monday Okpebholo fumbled with 2025 budget because he is not a “thief.”
Okpebholo struggled to pronounce N605 billion while presenting the budget before Edo State House of Assembly on Tuesday.
The governor said the figures were “confusing” him.
Reacting to the controversy, Mr Tenebe dismissed the criticism as unfounded, arguing that the governor’s slip-up was a natural human error.
Tenebe further claimed that the incident reflected Okpebholo’s integrity, contrasting him with past leaders in the state.
He said, “That is how to know original and innocent people. Monday is not a thief, so he’s not familiar with figures.”
The APC chairman dismissed the backlash, insisting that critics focus on the governor’s performance rather than his error during the presentation.
“He’s the governor of the state, he’s performing, and he will continue to perform. And anybody who does not like his face should go to hell and burn to ashes, period, and thank you,” Tenebe concluded.