Blessing Ebhodaghe reportedly warns drivers against opposition-party caps as video captures directive at Onitsha Park
The Chairman of Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State, Ekpoma,Blessing Albert Ebhodaghe, has directed commercial drivers operating from motor parks in the council area to wear caps or other materials associated with the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The directive, captured in a video verified by IBN News, was reportedly issued during the chairman’s visit to Onitsha Park in Ekpoma.
In the video, Ebhodaghe is heard warning the commercial drivers about compliance with the directive and linking the move to efforts to support Governor Monday Okpebholo’s political objective ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Reports on the development say the chairman referred to Okpebholo’s stated target of delivering 2.5 million votes to President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.
The chairman was also reported to have warned that drivers wearing caps or other materials associated with opposition political parties could be prevented from accessing the motor park.
The development has generated controversy because the directive involves commercial transport operators carrying out their daily businesses and appears to connect access to a motor park with political identification.
Questions are therefore emerging over the administrative authority for such a directive and whether political party materials can legitimately be made a requirement for commercial transport operators to access or operate from a public motor park.
The controversy also raises a wider question about the separation between local government administration and partisan political activity, particularly where government-controlled or regulated facilities are involved.
Ebhodaghe is not new to interventions involving commercial transport in Esan West.
In January 2026, following protests over insecurity and kidnapping in Ekpoma, the then acting council chairman announced restrictions on the movement and operation of commercial motorcycles and tricycles, directing operators to stop movement by 7pm as part of measures aimed at addressing security concerns.
The latest directive, however, concerns political identification rather than the regulation of operating hours or security measures, making it fundamentally different from the earlier restriction.
Commercial transport regulation ordinarily involves issues such as registration, identification of operators, road safety, vehicle standards, operating routes and public security. For example, transport authorities in other Nigerian states have used registration and identification systems to monitor commercial motorcycle and tricycle operators and improve security.
In the Ekpoma case, the key issue now is whether the reported instruction forms part of a formally approved local government transportation policy or represents a political directive issued by the council chairman.
The video has already generated public reaction, with critics questioning why commercial drivers should be required to display partisan political symbols as part of their work.
The development comes as political parties in Nigeria begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections, making the use of public spaces and government-linked activities for political mobilisation a matter of increasing public interest.
IBN News understands that the video establishes the existence of the reported directive, while the legal and administrative basis for the instruction remains a matter requiring clarification from the Esan West Local Government leadership.
The council chairman and relevant Edo State authorities are expected to clarify whether the directive is an official government policy, who authorised it and what sanctions, if any, would apply to drivers who decline to comply.
IBN News will continue to follow the development.
