When you read the definition of democracy, you immediately think it was designed to typify the “waka waka” governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo. I am talking of the ‘governor by the people, for the people and living with the people’. But his detractors thought they have successfully labeled him in bad light, unknowingly, they simply agreed that the man is everywhere working.

When skeptics coined that name for Okpebholo, I immediately pinched myself that there’s something this man must have been doing right to offend his detractors. I took a flight to town to investigate. And so, my findings revealed that offenders wanted the governor who will lock himself in the confines of his office like the elitist Dictator governor that left office, Godwin Obaseki. Now, they said this one - Governor Okpebholo spends more time outside his office than inside, they said he is always moving from one community to another like a restless breeze - the man who has come to redefine the essence of genuine governance and leadership.

So, here is the thing about this "waka waka" governor - you love him or loathe him, you can't ignore him - he’s not just your governor, he’s here with us for the next 4 years and if Jesus tarries, 8 years. Here is Senator Okpebholo who would not govern from the comfort of air-conditioned offices, this governor is on the move, inspecting projects, attending local festivals, and sometimes, dare I say, even commissioning business ventures like boutique and appearing at burial or naming ceremonies. Did you see the Dictator around these? He was always on suit, hiding inside Osadebey Avenue and always with portfolio businessmen, plotting how to plunder and loot the state resources.

And then, detractors are not happy with Okpebholo. They said, “he should stay in his office and work”. And I said no. He’s not ‘a governor of the office, by the office, for the office and without the people’. We have a governor who exemplifies democracy - a governor voted in by the people, for the people and working for the people on the streets. And if that earned him the “waka-waka” governor, it’s not a bad one. That’s exactly what we asked for.

This "waka waka" governor is the type who knows where the real problems lie - not just what's listed in the briefing documents. Whether it is in the area of tackling roads or drainage issues or visiting schools with desks that look older than independence, this governor is determined to solve problems at their root. While they called it “waka waka” governor, I call it “governance on the go”. Anyone you call it, you’re right because the “waka” is leading to tangible progress, after all.

For governor Okpebholo, public office is not the same as power and privilege - unlike the former Dictator. There is a departure with the new Sheriff in town. I understand he is yet to seek solace abroad since elected. Again, unlike his predecessor, the Dictator and father of detractors. For Okpebholo, rather than travel abroad, his time is split between his office, official engagements in Abuja, engaging in pair review with his colleagues from other states, the streets, and then his village where he spends weekends connecting and bonding with the people.

This is the man who would not shy away from the people who voted him into office. He has remained in touch with the realities of his people unlike the Dictator who does not know the road to his ancestral homeland. And even when in Benin, his house was like a graveyard with inscription: “beware of dogs, keep moving, no loitering, no parking, by police order”. Am sure you all know him? I am talking of Dictator Obaseki.

Someone from Akoko-Edo visited governor Okpebholo in his village during the Yuletide and share his experience with me saying, “the man received visitors till 2am in the morning. We saw him that night when he heard we were from Akoko-Edo, he took us in”. Imagine that. I am told that he eats with the people, listens to their concerns, and assures them of his commitment to addressing them. How else do you give hope to people? The man redefining governance as a partnership with the people and not an imposition on them.

I have also heard of Okpebholo’s disdain for materialism and this, we can all testify to it in his lifestyle. I understand he’s yet to move into the allures of government house and that he has chosen to remain in his private residence in Benin city. Is Okpebholo rejecting the excesses that comes with public office or the allures of power? Is Okpebholo a Deeperlifer?

Some persons have even gossiped him saying, “he has refused replacing the furnitures in his homes both in Abuja, Benin and village”, and I asked them, “what’s your business with that”? Leave the governor, maybe he’s simply contended with the little he has - this level of satisfaction and integrity is rare, especially among politicians who are often marred by the pursuit of personal wealth. But again, does the governor have a relationship with Deeper Life Bible Church? It’s an assignment for me to unravel. They are the ones you will put television in their houses but would prefer the transistor radio. Members of my Church.

In all of these, one thing that gladdens my heart is that Edo state now has a “waka waka” governor who was voted by the people, representing the people, working for the people, and living among the people. His leadership is not just about policies and signing of worthless MoUs, it’s about setting a moral example that will inspire others - I think this is revolution in leadership and not just about governance. Kudos to the “waka waka” governor!