The newly elected chairman of Esan west local government area of Edo state, Blessing Albert Ebhodaghe, on Thursday, September 17, warned commercial drivers operating from motor parks in the council against wearing caps or other materials not associated with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ebhodaghe, in a video circulating on social media, said he was at the Onitsha Park to issue a standing warning to drivers as part of efforts to support governor Monday Okpebholo’s pledge to deliver 2.5 million votes to president Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
The chairman directed drivers to wear caps associated with Tinubu and the APC or risk being barred from motor parks.
In the video, Ebhodaghe linked his directive to the political commitment made by governor Okpebholo to secure 2.5 million votes for Tinubu in 2027.
“The governor of Edo state promised president Bola Tinubu 2.5 million in the 2027 general election that the whole world is going to see,” Ebhodaghe said.
“By the grace of God, we are totally behind him. We are going to deliver him, come 2027.”
The chairman said he had gone around the town to warn drivers about the need to support the governor and the president.
He also linked the administration’s development projects, particularly road construction, to the political support being sought for Tinubu.
“Because if the road is not good, the driver cannot go. Am I correct? If the road is not good, you cannot apply anything. You cannot even find your daily bread,” he said.
“So, because the road is good today, you can go to Onitsha and come back. You can do what you need to do for the day.”
Ebhodaghe then issued the directive concerning the wearing of caps and other political materials at the motor park.
“I wrote on no account to not see any driver put on his cap or any material that does not belong to the party,” he said.
“Any park I see anybody putting on another cap… there will be no friend to this vehicle.”
He said he would personally monitor compliance with the directive and contact the leadership of the motor park if any driver was found wearing materials associated with another party.
“I will come here with a mobile phone,” he said, adding that he would also contact the park chairman.
The chairman further said he had come to the park in his capacity as the local government chairman to issue the warning to the drivers and park leadership.
“I’m here to handle all the things. To give orders. Give this warning to the chairman and to the company,” he said.
“Let nobody put on the cap.”
This comes less than two weeks after governor Okpebholo inaugurated the newly elected chairmen and vice chairmen of Edo state’s 18 local government areas and urged them to work towards delivering 2.5 million votes for Tinubu in 2027.
At the September 4 inauguration, Okpebholo told the council chairmen to strengthen political structures at the grassroots and mobilise support for Tinubu and the APC’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The governor has repeatedly spoken about the 2.5 million-vote target for Tinubu.
In May, he said Edo was capable of delivering the votes to the president, while in June he linked the target to projects being executed by his administration.
The Edo state APC also reiterated the 2.5 million-vote target after its victory in the July 2026 local government election, in which the party said it won all 18 chairmanship positions and 192 councillorship seats.
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