By Chris Osa Nehikhare
*Governor Okpebholo and the APC’s Misdirection Strategy:*
When a government has lost its way, distraction often becomes its only weapon of survival. That appears to be the playbook of Governor Okpebholo and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State today. Lacking clear direction, tangible achievements, or even a coherent policy agenda, the government has resorted to the oldest political trick in the book — the blame game.
One year into his tenure, Governor Okpebholo’s administration remains a study in confusion. There is no roadmap, no defined economic strategy, and no evidence of the promised infrastructural renewal. Instead, what we have is a government in disarray — over-bloated with aides and appointees, riddled with inconsistency, and struggling to find its footing.
Insecurity festers, the state workforce groans under poor direction, and the administration continues to operate in a fog of indecision. Yet, rather than take responsibility or articulate a clear vision, the government clings desperately to its only survival strategy — blaming the past.
The idea is simple: keep the people angry at yesterday, so they don’t notice the emptiness of today. It’s classic political misdirection — the magician’s trick of waving one hand while the other hides the truth.
Meanwhile, administrative failures litter our airwaves— from the rising insecurity menace, to the controversial ‘sale’ of 14,000 hectares of land to a teenager, to the phantom $250 million Glasgow deal, gross financial infractions and even the fictional 2.5 million votes earmarked for Mr. President.
But propaganda cannot build roads. Blame cannot feed the hungry. Excuses cannot light up dark communities. Edo people are no longer impressed by the daily invocation of Obaseki’s name. They want results — jobs, safety, education, and functioning local councils.
Perhaps the most glaring evidence of the administration’s lawlessness is the bastardisation of the local government system in Edo State. Under the watchful supervision and sponsorship of the APC and Governor Okpebholo, duly elected local government chairmen were illegally impeached and replaced through crude political manipulation and intimidation.
No fewer than seven court judgments have already been delivered against these illegal actions — clear and damning verdicts that expose the administration’s contempt for democracy, due process, and the rule of law.
Rather than obey court orders and respect constitutional boundaries, the government has chosen to dig in deeper — eroding the foundation of grassroots governance and leaving local councils paralysed. The result is a state where governance has been replaced with vindictiveness, and where the local government system — the closest tier of government to the people — has been reduced to a mere extension of political ego.
After twelve months in office, Edo people deserve to ask: What exactly is the Okpebholo vision for Edo State?
What are his blueprints for agriculture, industrialization, or youth employment? What new ideas has he brought to improve healthcare, education, and infrastructure? Leadership, after all, is not about rehearsing yesterday’s grievances but defining tomorrow’s possibilities.
Governor Okpebholo and the APC must be reminded that elections are over — governance has begun. The time for excuses has passed. Edo people expect leadership, not lamentations; action, not accusations; results, not rhetoric.
History is watching. And misdirection, no matter how skillfully performed, will eventually collapse under the weight of truth.
“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”
— Abraham Lincoln
