The Foul Odor of Okpebholo Continues to Spread
By John Mayaki
Monday Okpebholo is a rotten fish whose foul odor the APC can no longer conceal, no matter how much they try to hide him. The secret is out, and Nigerians everywhere who do not have their partisan blinders on are confirming it.
A journalist recently confessed his shock and disappointment at the low quality of the candidate in an exchange with one of his many spokesmen.
“I have to be honest; listening to him, he doesn’t sound articulate or even vaguely literate,” he said. This is a commonly held view by anyone who has had the misfortune of listening to the man.
He cannot complete a sentence without stumbling. He doesn’t have the mind for policy or strategy. Basic governance concepts have to be dumbed down for him to have an idea of what has been said. The constitution is an alien document to him; he has never read it nor possesses any understanding of how it would inform his roles and actions as governor, if elected.
Okpebholo has no education, whether in the classroom or in the streets. He is slow in everything: thought, speech, and action. Those pushing him know this and mock him behind his back. They only want him to be governor so they can exploit his illiteracy and numbness of mind. But should the selfish interests of the few override the interests of the majority of Edo people? Lives are at stake, as is the future of the state.
Governance of a state is a serious, complex job. Civil servants and appointees look to the governor for strategy and policy direction. He is expected to guide ideation and coordinate action in line with his vision. But can a blind man lead others? Would they even respect him? His appointees will come from Ugbor and Iyamho, and it is there they will report to; they will be accountable to the whisperers, not the people.
It is up to the Edo people to reject this rotten, yesterday’s fish. It will turn their stomachs and cause an epidemic.
