Public affairs analyst Mahdi Shehu has strongly criticised a statement reportedly made by Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo, who allegedly claimed that Northerners engage in kidnapping to influence election outcomes.
Shehu reacted to the claim on Saturday in a post on X, where he called the comment reckless and divisive. He said it showed deep-rooted bias and questioned the motive behind such a statement.
He wrote that the governor’s comment was careless and that its intention was immediately clear.
Shehu asked why the governor would target the North while ignoring crimes in the South. He said it was unfair to use the actions of a few to label an entire region.
“If so, what of internet hackers, bank fraud networks and hard drugs merchants predominantly in the South? Are they doing so to rig elections or to divide Nigeria?” he asked.
“We welcome both the rigging and the division,” he said.
In his post, Shehu accused the governor of spreading hate and lacking understanding. He said the comment showed clear recklessness and visible ignorance, and that it reflected a mindset filled with regional bias and needless hostility.
He went on to call the governor a cowardly, budget-ignorant miscreant, unable to read figures. He said the remark was like a poison arrow looking for where to spit.
He ended his reaction with, “Shame on you. Back to sender.”
Governor Okpebholo had earlier linked the rise in kidnappings and killings in the North to what he described as a planned effort to destabilise Nigeria and weaken President Bola Tinubu’s government.
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