Edo State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the September 21, 2024 election, Senator Monday Okpebholo, yesterday, said Edo State urgently need a ‘panel beater’ to fix deplorable state infrastructures and restore the state to its lost glory.

The governorship hopeful, who made this statement in apparent reference to his political critic, who, in a derogatory manner, described him as a panel beater, said he doesn’t require outlandish grammar to tackle insecurity, provide functional health care, fix dilapidated roads, respect traditional institutions, and revamp the collapsed educational system.

Okpebholo, who spoke at a media interactive session with members of the Edo State Correspondent Chapel, an arm of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Benin, said that under his watch, his administration will immediately declare a state of emergency on insecurity. He added that he doesn’t really need a manifesto to understand how to deal with the multi-hydra-headed problems and suffering inflicted on the state by the PDP-led Obaseki government.

He also challenged Obaseki to give account of the substantial monthly allocation, security vote and Internally Generated Revenue, (IGR) the state has received in almost eight years of his administration.

He said, “If elected by the special grace of God come September 21st, my job is to do things differently and restore Edo State to its lost glory; therefore, we need a courageous leader that will do things rightly for the benefit of Edo people.

“Today, Edo State is receiving N11 billion in monthly allocation with the debt profile put at N135 billion, thereby mortgaging the future of our children.

” At this point, what Edo really need is a panel beater. I’m here to panel beat the state where there will be no thuggery, where Bendel Brewery will work, where our roads will be fixed, where our children will have a functional educational system with teachers in our classrooms.

“I’m coming as a servant leader to the people where I will introduce practical governance and govern with empathy and love for the people.”

Earlier, the media consultant for the Edo State APC Governorship Campaign Council, Prince Kassim Afegbua, said Edo State needs an empathic governor with emotional intelligence. He added that Okpebholo’s humility and candour are what are selling him. He has the anointing of God.

Afegbua had earlier listed some of the candidate’s interventionist projects to include, the provision of transformers, building of classroom, provision of security vehicles to Edo Central, provision of scholarships and the provision of boreholes to many communities among others.