Monday Okpebholo is no stranger to gaffes. He ranks among the worst PR briefs in the history of politics. Every time he opens his mouth, disaster follows. Yet, candidates are generally required to speak extensively about their plans, vision, and ideas on the campaign trail. Okpebholo possesses none, unless you count his plan to hand over mineral resources to the people for them to keep in their homes. Perhaps he confuses natural endowments with soft drinks, thus fulfilling my prophecy about him being the Barkin Zuwo of this time.
There is little value in Okpebholo’s childlike babble. It conveys nothing except to reveal the emptiness of the man. But a slip he made at a recent event revealed something more than that. While rambling about “tiling” the road from Okpella to Benin – a prospect that poses serious danger to drivers plying that road because the illiterate may confuse marble tiles with interlocking – he confessed that Oshiomhole was his boss, the puppeteer holding his strings and swaying him left and right.
Afraid that the public admission would affirm what is already known to Edo voters – that Okpebholo is a mindless lackey brought in to serve only the interests of the godfathers seeking to regain access to Edo State’s treasury – elderspokesman Oshiomhole sprang to his feet and yanked the mic from his boy, who timidly gave it up. The Comrade insisted they were colleagues, but the lie was immediately undermined when the same man resumed his whispering duties.
Like a badly programmed robot, Okpebholo needs constant instructions from his masters – cum – programmers at every event to function. They tell him where to stand, what to say, and whom to acknowledge. Whether it’s the spokesman or the pastor, someone is always whispering instructions in his ear. There is no prize for guessing what Oshiomhole said to him that evening. Maybe he scolded him for confirming the open secret of their master – puppet relationship or ordered him to highlight a point.
Whatever the case may be, Edo voters were treated to yet another sad spectacle from this candidate who has contributed nothing to the race except entertainment. However, governors are not elected for their entertainment value. Osadebey Avenue is not a Disney World where buffoons are employed to wear costumes and excite with their dancing.
It is a place for serious – minded individuals capable of designing and implementing policies that will expand the economy, create jobs, and improve the living standards of the people. It is for men like Asue Ighodalo, who have committed themselves to study, can articulate a vision, and are able to entrust important state responsibilities to competent hands – not surrogates sent by the whispering godfathers at midnight.
