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By Oscar Okhifo
The Edo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Jarrett Tenebe, has declared that any commissioner who fails to wear President Bola Tinubu’s signature “Asiwaju cap” to Executive Council meetings will be suspended for indiscipline and insubordination.
Tenebe, in a television interview monitored by Pointblank News, read out the riot act, warning that refusal to wear the cap to the state’s Executive Council meetings would have serious consequences.
According to him, the directive was aimed at reinforcing loyalty to President Tinubu and the APC administration.
He said the party in Edo State had adopted the Tinubu cap as a symbol of allegiance, insisting that commissioners who defy the governor’s instruction to wear it would face disciplinary action.
“If you refuse to wear the cap as the governor has directed, we will suspend you. That is indiscipline and insubordination,” Tenebe warned.
He explained that the decision formed part of the state chapter’s efforts to consolidate the party’s support base and mobilise massively ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“We are doing it because we have made a promise that 3.5 million votes are guaranteed. Everybody has keyed into realising the 3.5 million votes,” he added.
The directive, sources said, followed an earlier instruction by Governor Monday Okpebholo for all government officials to wear Tinubu-branded caps and outfits during official functions as a show of solidarity with the President.
The “Asiwaju cap,” often worn by President Tinubu and now widely adopted by his supporters, has become a symbolic mark of loyalty within the APC.
However, the directive has triggered widespread criticism from observers who described it as an embarrassing descent into political sycophancy. Many Nigerians have expressed concern that forcing commissioners to wear a particular item of clothing as a sign of loyalty undermines democratic values and trivialises governance.
Political commentators argue that such a move portrays Edo State as blazing a very strange and undignified trail, one that elevates personal worship over institutional integrity. Critics insist that rather than cautioning the governor to tone down on excessive displays of allegiance, the APC leadership appears to be endorsing them.
“These are strange times,” one analyst remarked. “Edo has unfortunately carried last by turning what should be a platform for serious governance into a fashion parade of loyalty.”
As of the time of filing this report, no commissioner had been publicly reprimanded for violating the directive, but party insiders hinted that compliance would be closely monitored going forward.