IT Expert without Social Handle Causes Media Crisis
By John Mayaki
Media correspondents in Edo State are unsure how to report on Monday Okpebholo, the APC’s governorship candidate. He presents a challenge they are unfamiliar with, being the only candidate in the race, and possibly in Nigeria’s history, whose own party is desperately trying to hide him from the public.
Burdened by their candidate’s basic illiteracy and emptiness, the APC wants to construct a fictional version of him through media manipulation and obfuscation. Journalists are cajoled and warned not to report what they see. To gain any access to the candidate, they are required not to record the proceedings. Reports are largely based on prepared documents that describe Okpebholo, who cannot get through a sentence without stumbling, as an orator.
This contradiction was evident in the recent reporting of a purported ‘interactive session’ Okpebholo had with select journalists in Benin. A report of the event said Okpebholo claimed he doesn’t need ‘big grammar’ to fix Edo State.
Ironically, the same man who downplays the importance of English addressed journalists in his poor English to convey his message. This raises the question: why not deliver his message in his local dialect since he truly believes that education is a scam?
Another report claimed Okpebholo, who derided the importance of effective communication in Nigeria’s lingua franca and disregarded the value of a public manifesto, spoke in “flawless English.”
In the Leadership newspaper, Okpebholo reportedly remarked, “At this point, what Edo really needs is a panel beater. I’m here to panel beat the state.” This statement is noteworthy given Okpebholo’s alleged background as a panel beater. If he wishes to own up to his past, he should be honest rather than use the term ‘panel beat’ as a metaphor for governance—a clear misuse of English and poor choice of words.
The Nation newspaper featured a headline: “Edo 2024: Why I Don’t Talk Carelessly, by APC’s Okpebholo.” In the first paragraph, Okpebholo claims he avoids speaking carelessly to prevent lying to the electorate, preferring instead “to communicate through his manifesto”. Yet, there’s a glaring contradiction: Okpebholo has no public manifesto. According to the Leadership newspaper, he was quoted saying “he doesn’t need a manifesto to address the “hydra-headed problems.”
This contradiction is only the tip of the iceberg. There’s no video or audio record of his interactions with reporters, as they were instructed not to record him.
Okpebholo bragged in another report about being an “ICT expert.” Yet, he lacks a presence on major social media platforms. Only recently did a voter describe him as “hard copy” after experiencing the disaster that is the candidate for only a few minutes. That sums up everything about him.
For a candidate claiming to be an IT expert, Okpebholo’s absence from social media is puzzling. He has no social media accounts to communicate with the people he aspires to govern. Perhaps this aligns with his belief that he doesn’t need to speak English to connect with the electorate; he simply needs his local dialect to develop the state.
As Edo State stands on the brink of a new dawn, we wish the people the best of governance after September 21st.
The lies are obvious, and the media must address the Okpebholo problem before it triggers a crisis of confidence. People rely on the press for accurate reporting, especially during elections. If my party, the APC, wants to write fictional tales about Okpebholo, they can commission a novel. But these lies should not find a place on the pages of our credible newspapers. Reputations built over decades should not be sacrificed for an illiterate candidate gunning for an office he is grossly unfit for.
