Ahead of the forthcoming off-cycle governorship election in Edo state, a broadcast message is circulating on WhatsApp, claiming that Monday Okpebholo, the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has sponsored no bill on the floor of the 10th Nigerian Senate.
Okpebholo, who represents Edo central senatorial district at the Red Chamber following his emergence at the 2023 general elections, clinched the Edo APC guber ticket at the end of the party’s rerun primary election held in February 2024.
The supplementary election was conducted after the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) declared the initial primary inconclusive following the emergence of two parallel candidates.
Claim: Edo APC guber candidate, Okpebholo has sponsored no bill as a Senator
Verification
The CDD War Room checked the official website of the National Assembly where we found a document from the Senate bills department, showing the progression of sponsored bills on the floor of the Chamber from June 2023 to June 2027.
The document, dated Wednesday, February 7, 2024, shows the bills progression chart with the names of Senators who have sponsored bills and the status of the bills.
According to the document, Monday Okpebholo sponsored a bill titled “Agriculture Research Council of Nigeria Act (Amendment) Bill, 2023” which was first read on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday, October 18, 2023.
A more recent version of the bills progression chart, dated Thursday, March 14, 2024, shows that the bill was yet to be read the second time as seen on page 14 of the document.
Verdict: FALSE
The CDD War Room confirms that Monday Okpebholo, who represents Edo central senatorial district at the Nigerian Senate, had a sponsored bill according to the Senate bills progression chart.
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