Okpebholo’s Simple Solutions versus Ighodalo’s Empty Rhetorics on Providing Electricity for Edo People

By: Victor Oshioke

In a display that underscores the widening gulf between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, members of the PDP recently mocked Senator Monday Okpebholo, the APC gubernatorial candidate for the 2024 election, for his plan to tackle electricity issues in the state’s rural areas. Okpebholo’s proposal to provide electric poles and transformers to connect these communities to the national grid was dismissed by the PDP as overly simplistic, with claims that he lacked a comprehensive understanding of the complexities involved in solving the state’s electricity problems.

However, the criticism from the PDP highlights a deeper issue in the state: a political culture introduced by Governor Godwin Obaseki, which is marked by lengthy processes, high-cost consultancies, and a penchant for grandiose projects with little to no tangible results. The PDP’s denouncement of Okpebholo’s plan may have more to do with their entrenched belief in “complex solutions” that necessitate signing Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and hiring expensive consultants than with any genuine concern for solving the problems plaguing Edo State.

For eight years, Obaseki’s administration has epitomized this approach. His signature education initiative, EdoBEST, for example, has seen vast sums of money pumped into the project, but with little improvement in the state’s educational system. Schools remain understaffed, and the promised benefits of the project have not materialized. Similarly, Obaseki has signed nearly 300 MOUs during his tenure, yet none have come to fruition. Groundbreaking ceremonies for major projects abound, but they are often followed by no actual construction, leaving behind a state littered with empty promises and broken dreams.

It is no surprise, then, that Asue Ighodalo, Obaseki’s imposed candidate in the gubernatorial race, is poised to continue down this same path of illusory progress. Ighodalo’s promises, much like Obaseki’s, seem heavily reliant on bringing in Lagos-based consultants to develop plans and strategies—consultants who will continue to siphon off billions from the state’s coffers. Edo’s indigenous business community and citizens alike have seen through this smokescreen, recognizing the manipulation at play. They want a leader who understands their needs and who is capable of offering real, tangible solutions, rather than expensive, jargon-laden plans that never come to fruition.

Senator Monday Okpebholo’s proposal, on the other hand, reflects an understanding of the real limitations and possibilities available to a state governor. He acknowledges that governors in Nigeria do not control energy policy, nor do they have authority over the generation, transmission, or distribution of electricity. What they can do, however, is facilitate connectivity to the national grid through basic infrastructure—electric poles, cables, and transformers. Okpebholo’s plan may sound simple, but it is grounded in reality and based on what can actually be accomplished within the constraints of state governance.

Edo State’s people have had their fill of lofty promises and empty rhetoric. Under Obaseki, they were promised an airport and a stadium in Edo North, a port in Gelegele, and an industrial park in Edo South. None of these projects were delivered. As election season approaches, Obaseki has once again embarked on a spree of ground-breaking ceremonies, but the public knows better than to be swayed by these last-minute displays. His sudden interest in reopening institutions he closed years ago, like the College of Agriculture in Agenebode, reeks of political desperation.

Edo people are not foolish. They have endured eight years of failed promises and deceit, and they are ready for change. They know that Godwin Obaseki will cease to be governor on the 12th of November 2024, and they do not want a continuation of his disastrous administration. The question is not whether Okpebholo’s plan is too simple, it is whether Edo people are prepared to embrace a leadership that offers practical, homegrown solutions rather than continuing down the same road of deception and disappointment that has defined the Obaseki era.