As the 21 September 2024 Edo State governorship election approaches, the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, Monday Okpebholo, has been at the centre of online misinformation driven by varying controversies about his educational background and qualifications which has fuelled an intense narrative questioning his intelligence and fitness for the top office in the State. This piece looks at these controversies as they have muddied the waters for the electorate to discern fact from fiction.
One of the key issues stoking the fire of misinformation is the accounts of Okpebholo’s educational background. In a profile article published by Vanguard, Okpebholo is portrayed as a dedicated academic who built his career through perseverance and further education. According to the article, Okpebholo holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Benin, Edo State, a Master’s degree in Public Administration, and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Ibadan, Oyo State. The Vanguard also notes that he began his political career in 2003 with his candidacy for the House of Representatives on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
However, this narrative seems to be at odds with information provided by the Campaign team of the APC candidate as cited on Wikipedia, which presents a different account of Okpebholo’s educational background. In a report by This Day, Okpebholo is said to have earned a degree in Business Administration from the University of Abuja and later obtained a Master’s in Policy and Leadership Studies from the same institution. Notably absent from this account, are the Agricultural Economics degrees mentioned in the Vanguard article. This raises questions about Okpebholo’s qualifications, providing fertile ground for speculation and misinformation.
In addition, viral images purporting to show Monday Okpebholo’s academic failures have further intensified the narrative that Okpebholo is not qualified for the governorship office. One widely circulated image allegedly shows his West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) result from 2008, claiming that he failed several key subjects including English, Commerce, Economics, and Agricultural Science. The result, which claims that he sat for the May/June 2008 exam at Liberty Comprehensive College in Jos, Plateau State, and allegedly shows scores of D7 and F9 in several subjects, has been widely circulated online, with opposition members using it to suggest that Okpebholo is not academically capable or intelligent enough to lead the State.
However, a forensic analysis of the image using Open Source Intelligence Tools (OSINTs) suggests that it may have been digitally doctored. While the authenticity of the viral WAEC result remains questionable, it has sparked controversies online, reinforcing the negative narrative about Okpebholo’s educational performance.
Another viral image making the rounds is a registration form purportedly showing that Okpebholo enrolled in an adult education class in Abuja in June 2024. The form depicts that Okpebholo signed up for adult classes in Mathematics, English, and Social Studies at Ladewin Adult Education Centre in Jabi. This has also sparked speculations that he enrolled in the adult class to prepare for the gubernatorial debate ahead of the Edo poll. This narrative has been widely circulated online including Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) as seen here, here, and here. The narrative that Okpebholo, who was elected into the Nigeria Senate in 2023, is attending adult classes has been used by opposition members to bolster the campaign that he is intellectually unfit for public office.
The Campaign team of the APC debunked this viral speculation in a statement signed by the Legislative aide to Okpebholo. In addition, the Vanguard reported that Okpebholo began his political career in 2003, but the WAEC result circulating online claims he sat for the WASSCE in 2008. This timeline discrepancy further raises questions, suggesting that the viral result may have been fabricated or altered for political gain.
Adding another layer of controversy, Monday Okpebholo is reportedly facing a lawsuit filed by a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), over allegations of age falsification. Okpebholo is accused of using multiple dates of birth in official documents, including a claim that his voter card lists his birth year as 1977, which contradicts other records online. These allegations have fueled further doubts about Okpebholo’s credibility. He is expected to appear before an Abuja magistrate court on Friday, just a day before the Edo governorship election, to respond to these accusations.
Amid these swirling narratives, Okpebholo has maintained an unusual approach as he reportedly remarked in a recent interview with BBC that his silence was his weapon, suggesting that he is choosing not to engage directly with the rumours and allegations. While some may interpret this as a sign of calm confidence, others see it as being evasive, leaving voters to speculate on the truth.
Conclusively, the controversies surrounding Monday Okpebholo’s educational background have fueled online misinformation, creating an atmosphere of distrust. Whether this is deliberate or simply a byproduct of conflicting narratives, they raise more questions than they answer. For those already inclined to distrust Okpebholo, these narratives provide further ammunition. For others, the lack of clear, confirmed information, especially from the candidate’s camp, makes it difficult to form a conclusive opinion about his qualifications and may lead to voters making their electoral decisions based on falsehoods rather than truth.