Politics Now:Edo State Governor Senator Monday Okphebolo & Endless Public Speaking Errors...YPP VP Presidential Candidate Patience Key Makes A Case

 •BEYOND GRAMMAR: LET EDO JUDGE LEADERSHIP BY SERVICE AND RESULTS

I have watched some of the public conversations, jokes and criticisms surrounding the way the Governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, speaks English and occasionally makes verbal mistakes during speeches and public appearances.

I want to offer a different perspective.

Good communication is important in leadership. A governor must be able to communicate policy, represent the state and explain decisions to the people. But eloquence in English must never become our primary measurement of whether a leader is capable of serving the people. The real questions should be much more demanding:

Are Edo people safer?

Are our roads getting better?

Are our schools functioning?

Are teachers supported?

Can ordinary people access quality healthcare?

Are farmers able to reach their farms and markets?

Are young people finding opportunities?

Are public resources being used transparently?

Are communities experiencing visible and measurable development?

Those questions matter far more to me than whether a governor uses sophisticated English. Governor Okpebholo himself made essentially this argument during the 2024 campaign when he said he did not need “big grammar” to address Edo's problems and presented himself as someone interested in practical leadership. If he fulfils that commitment, Edo people should judge the results. English is an official language of Nigeria, and a governor should continue improving his ability to communicate effectively. But English fluency must not be confused with intelligence, compassion, integrity or administrative performance.

Around the world, presidents and national leaders proudly address international audiences in their own languages and rely on professional interpreters. They are not considered less competent because they do not conduct every international engagement in English. So if Governor Okpebholo is more comfortable communicating some ideas in Esan or Nigerian Pidgin, there is nothing inherently shameful about that. Let qualified interpreters communicate his message where necessary. In my opinion, there would be greater dignity in a governor speaking clear Esan or Pidgin and delivering excellent government than in a leader speaking flawless English while communities remain impoverished and public services continue to deteriorate.

The Monday Okpebholo I Personally Encountered

I also believe in judging people fairly from one's actual experience with them. During the 2024 Edo governorship election, I encountered Senator Okpebholo at the signing of the peace accord. My personal interaction with him that day was cordial. He walked over to me, greeted me, suggested we meet and have a discussion, asked whether I spoke Esan, and asked that we take photographs together. We exchanged contacts. He proposed a day for us to meet, but unfortunately that particular date did not work for me, and he indicated that he would subsequently travel to Abuja. We never eventually had that meeting, and we have not spoken since.

Therefore, I cannot claim to know him personally based on one brief encounter. But I can say this honestly: the individual I met that day behaved respectfully toward me. And if I were judging only that interaction, I would say that I encountered a man who appeared approachable and cordial. Politics should not prevent us from acknowledging humanity in one another. I contested against him. I have serious concerns about the 2024 election and have spoken openly about them. But disagreement does not require hatred, and opposition should not require us to deny every good quality we observe in another person.

The Greater Danger May Not Be Grammar

My greater concern for Governor Okpebholo would therefore not be his English. My concern would be whether he has the courage and independence to govern Edo for Edo people rather than political interests. Every governor inherits political relationships, party structures, powerful personalities and competing interests. Some individuals around government have occupied positions of influence for years, even decades. Edo people are entitled to ask what those years of influence actually produced.

If people who participated in previous governments, political establishments or power structures left our communities poorer, our infrastructure weaker and opportunities fewer, they should not simply reposition themselves around another administration and continue business as usual. That is the danger every governor must resist. A governor may have good intentions, but good intentions surrounded by destructive interests can still produce poor government.

Governor Okpebholo therefore has a responsibility to determine who influences his administration and whose interests his government ultimately serves. Political godfathers cannot become more important than Edo's children. Party interests cannot become more important than communities. Personal enrichment cannot come before public development. And praise-singers should never become a substitute for honest advisers. A leader needs people around him who can tell him the truth, challenge poor decisions, understand policy and help convert intentions into results.

Faith Must Produce Service

I also recently heard Governor Okpebholo speak publicly about his Christian faith and say that he began “casting out demons” when he was around 17 or 18 years old. He connected that spiritual experience with his determination to confront insecurity and cultism in Edo State.

As a woman of faith myself, I respect anyone's decision to seek God's guidance. But spiritual language should also lead us toward practical responsibility. So if the Governor believes in prayer, then I encourage him to pray. Pray for wisdom. Pray for discernment. Pray for courage. Pray that God helps him distinguish genuine advisers from people pursuing personal interests. Pray for the strength to reject corruption. Pray for compassion toward the poor and vulnerable. Pray for wisdom to confront insecurity.

Pray that every force—political, economic, institutional or spiritual—that works against the progress of Edo State is overcome.

And then, after praying, work.

Repair the roads.

Strengthen healthcare.

Improve education.

Protect farmers.

Create an environment for businesses to thrive.

Support young people.

Confront insecurity and cultism.

Make government transparent.

Develop rural communities.

Ensure that public money produces public value.

Faith and responsibility should work together.

I Will Pray for Him if He Is Ready to Serve

I do not need Governor Okpebholo to fail in order for my own political journey to have meaning. If his administration genuinely succeeds in improving Edo State, Edo people benefit—and that should matter more than partisan competition. If he governs with love, humility, courage and respect for the people; if development becomes visible in our communities; if citizens experience better services; and if public resources are used for their intended purpose, then I will gladly acknowledge those achievements.

And yes, my prayers will be with him if he is genuinely committed to serving Edo people.

All power ultimately belongs to God, not to any political individual. Political offices are temporary. The consequences of leadership can last for generations.

So I would encourage Governor Okpebholo: do not allow jokes about your English to become the defining issue of your administration.

If English is an area that needs improvement, improve it. If you prefer Esan or Pidgin in some settings, speak confidently and use competent interpreters where appropriate.

But above everything else:

Let Edo understand the language of good roads.

Let Edo understand the language of functioning hospitals.

Let Edo understand the language of safe communities.

Let Edo understand the language of quality education.

Let our farmers understand the language of access to their farms and markets.

Let young people understand the language of jobs and opportunity.

Let taxpayers understand the language of accountability.

Those languages require no interpreter.

I would rather see a governor struggle with grammar and succeed in governance than watch another eloquent politician speak beautiful English while citizens struggle to survive. In the end, history will not judge Governor Monday Okpebholo by whether every sentence he spoke was grammatically perfect. History will judge whether Edo State became better because he was Governor. 

That should be the standard for him. And frankly, it should be the standard for every one of us who seeks public office.

Leadership is not a grammar competition. Leadership is a responsibility to serve, transform and deliver.

•

•Patience Ndidi Key

Vice-Presidential Candidate, Young Progressives Party (YPP)

2027 General Elections | Federal Republic of Nigeria

Former Edo Governorship Candidate, 2024

Former Presidential Aspirant, 2023

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