By Ismail Abdulazeez Mantu
As the 2024 Edo State governorship election looms, political observers are astounded by the controversial endorsement of Senator Monday Okpebholo, by APC chieftain Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu. This backing has ignited wave of criticisms, given the glaring inadequacies surrounding Okpebholo’s qualifications and competence.
In a state known for its rich intellectual tradition, Ize-Iyamu’s audacity in promoting a candidate widely regarded as unfit for office reeks of political desperation. Okpebholo’s glaring educational deficits and his alarming inability to string coherent sentences together in English – the nation’s official language – have raised alarms among both critics and stakeholders.
Political analysts have been left bewildered by this choice, as Edo State, with its complex socio-economic dynamics, demands leadership grounded in intellectual rigor and strategic insight. Yet, Ize-Iyamu has opted to force upon the people a candidate whose glaring shortcomings are impossible to ignore. The decision to champion an individual whose leadership qualities and educational background are not just questionable, but outright embarrassing, has led many within the APC to fear an imminent loss of credibility.
Given his pedigree as a lawyer, a former Chief of Staff, and a former Secretary to the Edo State Government, Ize-Iyamu’s decision to discard educational merit and literacy on the altar of political patronage is not just disappointing – it’s a slap in the face of progress. Is it too much to ask that a Senator vying for governorship in a state as diverse as Edo be able to communicate effectively in English?
How can a state chieftain whose wife Prof Idia Ize Iyamu, a professor of Dentistry, suddenly and conveniently throw educational acumen under the bus to seek votes from the wise Edo populace except he believes them to be gullible
The spectacle of Ize-Iyamu’s desperate attempts to prop up an illiterate candidate has left many wondering: just how low is the APC willing to go to accommodate mediocrity? For a party that once boasted of setting standards, this move plunges Edo State politics into an abyss of backwardness and ridicule.
With elections approaching, Edo voters are now left to decide whether to stand by a candidate whose only credential seems to be the backing of a self-serving godfather or to reject this farce and uphold the values of competent and accountable leadership. The days ahead will reveal whether this tragic comedy will be taken seriously or cast aside as an insult to the intelligence of the people of Edo State.
