Owan and The Politics of Deception: Greed, Weak Leadership, and The Betrayal of Rotation
Dan Asakhame
By Hon. Daniel Asekhame, FCAI
Owan land is today being dragged into a dangerous web of deception—one deliberately spun to cloak personal greed and rationalise political desperation.
There are reports that a sitting member of the House of Representatives is allegedly telling sections of the community that “the presidency wants some people back,” a claim calculated to justify a bid for a third term. This narrative is not only false; it is a grave insult to the collective intelligence of the Owan people.
At what point did the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria become the custodian of Owan’s rotational arrangements? The presidency neither designs nor enforces local power-sharing agreements. Rotation is a communal consensus, rooted in fairness and mutual respect.
To invoke the presidency as an excuse to upend this arrangement is a deliberate lie—one aimed at manufacturing inevitability around personal ambition. This is not leadership. It is raw, unapologetic greed.
Sadly, this tactic is not new. Across Africa, politicians routinely deploy deception to elongate their stay in office, trampling on justice, equity, and long-standing agreements in the process. Instead of honouring rotation—an instrument meant to ensure inclusion, balance, and peace—some individuals choose to weaponise falsehoods to cling to power.
This situation is further compounded by the disturbing weakness of leadership in Owan West. The local government is short of bold, principled leaders willing to speak truth to power or place the people above personal comfort.
Too many have reduced themselves to pawns, serving state and federal interests while abandoning the collective aspirations of their constituents. This vacuum of leadership has enabled manipulation, intimidation, and political bullying to thrive.
Yet, there is hope. A quiet but significant awakening is underway.
A new generation of voices is emerging within the local government—men and women who are educating the people, demystifying the lies, and reasserting the importance of rotation. As a result, the electorate is becoming increasingly enlightened, less fearful, and harder to deceive with hollow propaganda.
Most troubling, however, is the irony of the current struggle. Those desperately seeking a third term in the House of Representatives should, by logic and fairness, be preparing to contest the Senate seat.
Under the rotational understanding in Edo North, the Senate seat is clearly due to Owan West. Yet, out of fear, limited capacity, or political compromise, they have abandoned that rightful path and chosen instead to cling to a House seat that, in this cycle, belongs to Owan East.
This represents a double betrayal: the denial of Owan East’s legitimate turn, and the weakening of Owan West’s rightful claim to the Senate. It lays bare a poverty of vision and a brand of politics driven solely by self-preservation.
Owan deserves far better. The future of the land cannot be anchored on lies, greed, and timid leadership. Rotation must be respected. Truth must be upheld.
Ambition must align with justice and collective progress. The people are watching. They are learning. And they are increasingly determined to defend fairness.
Those who choose deception today may gain temporary advantage, but history will remember them not as leaders, but as obstacles to Owan’s advancement.
