Monday Okpebholo’s Growing Esancentricity, A Worrisome Trend In Edo Politics, By Chris Ojeikere
IN the video above, as in many other Esan corners, where Monday Okpebholo manages to peer out of his ‘Purdah’, it is always to come and whip up Esancentric sentiments that has become, not only worrisome to many of us Edo people, who pride ourselves of the Edo unity, but also forebode an ominous ethnic bigotry that is already highly divisive, to put it mildly! This might have been easily dismissed to the philosophy of : ” if a man has nothing to offer, he offers his tribe!” But, we can not dismiss it thus now, because of the zeal and near fanaticism with which his ‘homogeneous species’ followers emphasize that zealotry!
I was engaging one on a Whatsapp platform recently, and in the spirit of Edoid brotherhood referred to him as, “my friend” The man replied menacingly, in an icy tone: “I am not your friend and you are not mine”!. Then he returned to his Esan first, Esan only and Esan last preachment with now obvious venom! I was glad I wasn’t close to where he was, I might have needed protection, I’m sure!
So it’s not something to close our eyes to. We have not seen that kind of ethnocentrism in Edo State before. Governor Obaseki is an exemplar of a cosmopolitan Edo man! Totally Detribalised ! Edo people all testify to how connective and Edoid Dr Asue Ighodalo is! Totally detribalised !
Even though we know and, indeed, because we know Bro Monday is going nowhere with his wishy-washy Campaign, we need to be even more careful that after his loss, we don’t have in our hands a band of Okpebhololian zealots with all the attending potentials for xenophobia
in Esanland.
For instance, in the video above, observe the totality of Monday Okpebholo’s scope and sum of thoughts! Although as usual, he doesn’t even know what a Board Chairman is. He says the Board Chairman owns the bank, as if a Board Chairman is a Sole Proprietor. But leave that! Concern yourself with the more sinister: ” if I was the Chairman, I WILL FILL THE BANK WITH ESAN PEOPLE AND NOTHING WILL HAPPEN!”. Observe the careless insensitivity and supreme indifference to other tribes of Edo in his dismissal! That kind of ethnically saturated mind is dangerous to Edo’s Unity! But that is what APC is offering us! Note that neither he, nor his species, had ever for once asked, what Asue Ighodalo did for Edo State. No! It’s been always for Esanland, Esanland Esanland! We all know where such fixation will lead us, should we have the misfortune of such individual ever finding his way to Osadebey Avenue.
I guess it’s fairly easy to predict now that we know the margins of his references, it would be for him, first, Esan APC Leaders, and second, Esan APC followers. I mean, it follows clearly by natural progression doesn’t it? Every other Esan, who is not an Okpebhololian would be considered a stranger and be so tagged! Bye-bye to all Esan in Diaspora and other parts of Nigeria!
The last time I checked the voting demographics of Edo Central, the entire voting population is put at 18%. If APC Esan and their candidate would have known anything at all, they would have known that playing the ethnic championship card now, is a very bad game for them! Now as I understand it, even within the Esan demographics, Uromi is swept for Ighodalo. I am told, don’t even go near Esan South East. Central is swept! Igueben is swept. The key issue is Esan West and the matter there concerns Education! Not Mr Okpebholo’s favourite topic of course!
So, you would wonder, which Esan is he bandying their names ‘ upandan’? If he so loves Esan, why has he abandoned the Senatorial mandate of Edo Central now mistakenly on his hands? He ran away from Abuja home to be organising village square meetings in which his only message is ‘ Esancentricsm!’This APC candidate is truly a handful!
Other tribes of Edo State have waited and are still waiting in vain for the APC candidate to come and address them. I think it is dawning on us now that the man cannot think beyond Esan boundaries. Hmmm! No wonder!
Chris Ojeikere is a spokesperson for the Asue Ighodalo Campaign Council!
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