The controversy over Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo’s recent remarks in Osun State should not be allowed to drown the more important issue he raised: governance and accountability. Okpebholo’s criticism of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s public displays of dancing, content creation and entertainment was not an indictment of those activities, but a reminder that the responsibilities of a governor extend beyond public spectacle to the delivery of tangible development and improved living conditions for the people.
There is, after all, nothing inherently wrong with dancing or content creation. The creative industry has become an important source of livelihood, visibility and economic opportunity for thousands of Nigerians. But governance demands a different measure of performance. The question is not whether a governor can dance, create content or connect with the people through entertainment; it is whether, alongside those engagements, his administration is delivering the roads, schools, healthcare, agriculture, jobs, infrastructure and policies that citizens expect from government.
It is against this backdrop that Okpebholo raised questions about the state of development in Osun and the utilisation of public resources accruing to the state. As a sitting governor, he understands the scale of monthly statutory allocations and other revenues available to state governments. His argument, therefore, is straightforward: if substantial public resources have accrued to Osun in recent years, where are the corresponding development outcomes? What has changed materially in the lives of ordinary Osun citizens, and what projects can the people point to as evidence of effective stewardship?
The answer to that challenge should not be found in attacks on Okpebholo or in arguments over whether he had the right to speak in Osun. It should be found in the administration’s scorecard. Governor Adeleke can place before the people a comprehensive account of his achievements: the roads constructed or rehabilitated, schools improved, healthcare facilities upgraded, agricultural programmes implemented, young people empowered, jobs created, industries attracted and policies introduced to stimulate economic growth.
Indeed, this is the accountability test that every elected government should willingly submit itself to. If the administration has effectively deployed the resources available to it, the evidence should be sufficiently visible and measurable to answer its critics. If there are major projects and programmes undertaken across Osun, the people deserve to know their locations, costs, beneficiaries and impact. A government seeking a fresh mandate should have no better campaign material than a credible record of what it has delivered.
Okpebholo has, interestingly, subjected himself to the same standard. His challenge to Adeleke is that when the time comes for him to seek another mandate in Edo State, the Osun governor, or any other political leader, should come to Edo and ask the people to interrogate his own record with equal vigour. Let the people demand his scorecard, examine the projects executed, assess the policies implemented and determine whether his administration has justified the confidence reposed in it.
This is the kind of political competition Nigeria needs: governors competing not in personal attacks, social-media theatrics or celebrity-driven exchanges, but in the quality of governance they provide. If one administration builds a better road, another should build a better one. If one improves education, another should strive to surpass it. If one creates more opportunities for young people, others should be challenged to do more. Such competition transforms politics from a contest for power into a contest for public value.
The issues have been raised and a golden opportunity was presented to Governor Adeleke not only to answer Okpebholo with rhetoric, but with results, scorecards and proof of developmental strides scattered across the state. Instead, his response has centred more on counter-attacks and social-media validation than on providing a compelling account of his administration’s stewardship.
For political observers, this reinforces the argument that Osun needs a change of direction, one in which public resources are translated into visible development, economic opportunity and improved living conditions for citizens. It is time for the people of Osun State to use the forthcoming election to vote out what many considers a failed administration and entrust the state to the APC candidate to provide more effective and accountable leadership.
The appeal, ultimately, is for Osun voters to make their decision on the basis of performance, development and the effective use of public resources. Okpebholo wants the people to elect a government that will not only complement the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration but also ensure that resources accruing to Osun produce meaningful development across the state.
The choice, he maintains, belongs to the people: to retain the status quo or choose a new administration that will prioritise roads, education, healthcare, agriculture, jobs, infrastructure and other investments capable of improving the quality of life of the people. On Election Day, it will be the people of Osun, not social media, that will have the final say.
