Okpebholo obtained a degree in business administration from the University of Abuja and has completed his thesis for a Master's in Governance and International Relations from the same institution.

Okpebholo contested for the Senate seat representing Edo Central senatorial district under the All Progressives Congress (APC) and was elected on 25 February 2023.

On 13 June 2023, he was inaugurated as a senator in the 10th National Assembly of Nigeria, representing Edo Central senatorial district.

In February 2024, he won the Edo State APC gubernatorial primary election.

Later in 2024, Okpebholo was summoned by a magistrates' court over allegations of falsifying his date of birth, stated as 1 August 1977 on his voter's card.

It was also reported that his date of birth appeared as 29 August 1972 on his West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate as a student.

He was declared the winner of the 2024 Edo State gubernatorial election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and subsequently assumed office as the governor of Edo State.

On 2 April 2025, the Edo State Governorship Election Tribunal affirmed his victory in the gubernatorial election held in September 2024.

Party Positions

Policy positions from the All Progressives Congress (APC) party manifesto.

Security & Defense

Enhances compensation, medical care, housing support, scholarships, stipends, and health insurance for military personnel injured in duty and their families.

Source ↗

Governance & Reform

Commits to amending Nigeria’s governance architecture through constitutional review and collaboration with the National Assembly and State Governments to grant States greater autonomy over critical matters like crime prevention, prisons, stamp duties, and taxation.

Source ↗

Economy & Trade

Reforms the Federal Budgetary Methodology to move away from oil revenue dependence and base spending on projected growth, establishing an inflationary ceiling to optimize fiscal policy without causing excessive inflation.

Source ↗

Infrastructure

Launches a National Infrastructure Campaign to modernize national infrastructure by hiring millions of unemployed Nigerians through the fiscal flexibility gained from reforming budgetary methodology.

Source ↗

Agriculture

Will encourage local farmers to form farm cooperatives, enabling them to pool resources for modern farming equipment, fertiliser, and access priority government agricultural assistance programs (extension services), with tax breaks and credits.

Source ↗

Environment & Climate

Will **reduce Nigeria’s gas flaring** by removing it from the top 10 countries with highest flares, aiming to maximize sector benefits while eliminating environmental harm.

Source ↗

Anti-corruption

Curb reliance on imported goods via luxury taxes, higher tariffs, and processing fees while incentivizing local manufacturing with tax credits/rebates.

Source ↗

Enterprise grant support

Provides tax credits, holidays, and reduced interest rate loans for businesses that hire a specified percentage of youth in their workforce and offer on-the-job training.

Source ↗

Energy

Will increase Nigeria’s domestic crude oil production to **2.6 million barrels per day by 2027** and **4 million barrels per day by 2030**, while implementing a Special Enforcement and Monitoring Unit to deter theft, vandalism, and pipeline breaches using drones and aerial surveillance.

Source ↗

Education

Introduces a new management system for federally funded primary and secondary schools via Boards of Education, reserving community representation in decision-making.

Source ↗

Healthcare

Will strengthen primary healthcare infrastructure with incentive schemes, counterpart funding programs, and grassroots preventative care (vaccinations, cancer screening, blood pressure monitoring) in collaboration with state/local governments.

Source ↗

Technology & Digital

Establishment of an advisory committee to review and reform regulatory frameworks for blockchain technology and virtual asset services.

Source ↗

Reliefs and scholarships

Provides **conditional income support** to very poor households, tied to human capital development goals like high-school attendance, healthcare, and nutrition.

Source ↗

Follow the 2027 race

Who declares, who drops out, who switches party: sourced, not speculation.

Follow on X@ng_elections