Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening the All Progressives Congress (APC) and taking governance to the grassroots.

Mr Okpebholo made the commitment on Monday during a meeting with APC members from across the 18 local government areas of the state at the Government House, Benin.

He expressed appreciation to party members for their support and emphasised the importance of unity within the party.

“I want to let you know that the party is our party. We don’t have any other party than APC, so we are taking the governance to the grassroots so that whatever is from the top will also go down to the bottom,” he said.

He assured that his administration would continue to ensure that governance reached the grassroots, stressing that development and opportunities must flow from the state level down to the wards.

The governor also said the appointment of 4,000 special assistants (SAs) was not an issue, noting that the victory of the APC was a collective achievement.

”Appointing 4,000 SAs is not an issue at all because we all worked for this victory; the victory does not belong to Okpebholo alone,” he said.

Earlier, the APC state chairman, Jarret Tenebe, commended the governor for what he described as efforts to reposition and strengthen the party since assuming office.

Mr Tenebe said the APC had become more active and stable under Mr Okpebholo’s administration, adding that the governor had created opportunities for party members to participate in governance and bring the dividends of democracy to the grassroots.

He stressed that the current administration had also made provisions for the party to operate more effectively, including plans for the party to have a vehicle for its activities.

He said several the APC faithful had been considered for appointments as special assistants, attributing this development to the governor’s understanding of both politics and governance.

He also said that the governor had approved the appointment of 25 special assistants in each of the 192 wards across the state.

He explained that the meeting with ward chairmen and other party members was convened to communicate the criteria and guidelines for selecting beneficiaries of the appointments.

(NAN)