Re – Between Oshiomhole And Okpebholo

BY ANDY ASEMOTA

Recently, Sonala Okumhense in an article published in the Punch, described the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a brand of “political brigandage, ethical arson and administrative incompetence, and in which murder, looting and injustice ran the day.”

The columnist also alleged that Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, on the platform of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) would not offer a better governance to Edo people as a result of Okpebholo’s inability to read his speech fluently.

When I heard the story, I was not sure that it was Okumhense who made the statement until I confirmed the write-up.

I do not want to dable into the propriety or otherwise of the man’s statement or the PDP brand. For me today, I do not want to talk much about the immediate past PDP administration in Edo State because that will not properly suit the subject of this rejoinder.

My concern is more on the value that Okpebholo’s administration has added to Edo State since he entered the Dennis Osadebey Avenue in Benin City.

It’s an unequivocal record that it was not Senator Adams Oshiomhole and his political structure that facilitated emergence of Okpebholo as the flag bearer of the APC in the party’s primary.

I am aware that during the primary for the September 21 governorship election in the state, Okpebholo carried the day courtesy of the majority votes based on his political value.
At that juncture, Oshiomhole and other key stakeholders in Edo and Nigerian polity threw in their hats, and as they, the rest is history.

Okpebholo, who was a serving senator prior to becoming the governor of Edo State is arguably one of Nigeria’s finest and he has brought a lot of traction to the development of the state.

So, we are quite pleased, and pray that his capacity will compliment the well-known formidable capacity of President Bola Tinubu and Nigerians will be convinced that a positive practical governance is a foot.

We cannot thank President Tinubu enough that under his watch, one of the most transparent primaries took place in APC in Edo which saw the emergence of Okpebholo as the state governor.

Evidence abound that the governor has brought traction to the rebuilding of a prosperous Edo State and he will, no doubt, compliment the achievements under President Tinubu.

In the first one month of Okpebholo’s government, many his accomplishments, reflected through his five point agenda, met all necessary expectations. In life, no matter how hard one works, some persons can not be impressed even when the popular expectations had been surpassed.

Despite the prevailing economic reality in the country, Governor Okpebholo remained resilient because the initiatives of his administration are forward-looking policies and projects.

In Edo State, we readily acknowledge leaders that are resourceful and hard-working. We have a governor endowed with these qualities and much more. We are happy with the accomplishments of this humble and diligent servant leader who abhors lip service to the yearnings and aspirations of the people.

We are glad that his emergence was a collective responsibility of the majority of the electorate.

It’s needles to posit that from the common man to the privileged ones in the society, everyone will benefit maximally from Okpebholo’s dynamic and purposeful approach to governance across diverse sectors of the state’s economy.

The achievements being recorded in various key intervention areas of road infrastructure development, affordable healthcare, agriculture and food sufficiency, education and people – oriented leadership will no doubt act as a counterforce to the wrong perception and false narratives being churned out by political adventurers about the governor.

His courage, competence, passion, capacity, vision and charisma compare favourably with those demonstrated by political leaders that have been in the saddle in Edo.

As seen from the above, the bountiful harvest of the dividends of democracy under Okpebholo’s administration so far

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