Edo State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 21, 2024 election, Senator Monday Okpebholo has stated that the state urgently need a ‘panel beater’, to fix deplorable infrastructures for restoration of the state to its lost glory.

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

Okpebholo who spoke at a media interactive session with members of the Edo State Correspondent Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Benin said his administration would immediately declare a state of emergency on insecurity if elected.

The APC candidate added that he does not really need a manifesto to understand how to deal with the hydra-headed problems and suffering inflicted on the state by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP-led administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki.

He also challenged Obaseki to give account of the huge monthly allocation, security vote and Internally Generated Revenue, (IGR) accrued to the state in the 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 back 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 is 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 needs 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, Edo State APC Governorship Campaign Council, Prince Kassim Afegbua, stressed the need for the state to elect an empathic governor that has emotional intelligence, adding that Okpebholo’s humility and candour is what is selling him.

Afegbua also declared that the APC governorship candidate has the anointing of God.

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