In a biography on his official political platform, jarrettenebe.org – https://jarrettenebe.org, a site that serves as a central hub for his political activities and party updates, the Edo State chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) addressed himself as Emperor Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe. Folks know him simply as Jarret Tenebe. The dictionary meaning of the word emperor is a male monarch who holds ultimate control over a nation or multiple subjugated/allied territories. In the same vein, Wikipedia defines Khalifa as an Arabic word that translates to “successor, deputy, ruler or steward.” It is traditionally used for the supreme religious and political leader of the Islamic community (caliphate). Thus, Muhammadu Sanusi II, the 14th Emir of Kano, is also Khalifa of the Tijaniyyah Sufi order in Nigeria. Jarret Tenebe is not a Muslim. He is a Christian. It is not clear whether he uses the titles Emperor and Khalifa simply as monikers or if they have always been his name. If they are titles, at what point did he start using them to prefix his name and to what end? Could it be sheer hubris on the part of a man who is beginning to see himself as one of the famed “owners” of Nigeria? The question may well be asked, “What’s in a name?” as, indeed, “Juliet” did in William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. It depends on who you ask. Whereas a school of thought believes that the name or title of something is less important than its true nature, some studies show that names can influence self-perception, as Brad Hirschfield, one of America’s most influential Rabbis, noted when he answered, “Perhaps A Great Deal!” to his own rhetorical question: “What’s in a name?” Tenebe takes his “emperor” moniker seriously. And he is beginning to see himself as having arrived in a Nigeria of vainglorious and harebrained politics. He is dancing naked at the political market square believing that he is above the law, hence no consequences to his disgraceful utterances. How do I mean? Last week, he exhibited his unbelieavable nuisance when he said at an APC rally that anyone blocking the party from securing 2.5 million votes for President Bola Tinubu in Edo State as promised by Governor Monday Okpebholo would face AK-47 fire. “Those who do not wish us well, who want to create an obstacle for us, I have a prayer for you. So, anybody who refuses, who wants to stand in our way, for us not to have those votes that we intend to give to Mr. President, AK-47 fire,” he declared. That is tantamount to passing death sentence on political opponents. Nigerians and, indeed, the international community were scandalised, except the people on whose behalf Tenebe made the incendiary comment. Civil society groups including Amnesty International Nigeria and the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) flagged the comment as a direct threat to democracy, free movement, and the rule of law, and called on security agencies to hold him accountable. Commenting, one A.M. Temidayo – @AnewNaija – wrote: “Imagine a Peter Obi supporter was captured on camera saying, ‘Anyone who tries to block our way to stop Peter Obi from winning will get AK-47 fire!” The police and the DSS would immediately swing into action and arrest the person. But in the case of Tenebe, he enjoys immunity because he is supporting Tinubu. History will record the police and the DSS as cowardly institutions that only bark at the opposition while bowing before those in power.” He couldn’t be more correct. Truth is, the joke is on the entire network of government agencies and institutions responsible for enforcing rules and maintaining public order including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This is more so considering the fact that recently, INEC chairman Prof Joash Amupitan vowed that the Commission will not stand by and allow political competition to devolve into violence, intimidation, or inflammatory rhetoric. “Any political party or candidate implicated in inciting violence, disrupting rivals’ rallies, or deploying armed thugs will face direct statutory sanctions and swift prosecution.” The 1999 Constitution and Electoral Act 2026 support Amupitan. Section 96 of the Act, which deals with the prohibition of certain conduct at political campaigns, provides that: “(1) A political campaign or slogan shall not be tainted with abusive language directly or indirectly likely to injure religious, ethnic, tribal or sectional feelings; (2) Abusive, intemperate, slanderous or base language, insinuations or innuendoes designed or likely to provoke violent reaction or emotions shall not be employed or used in political campaigns.” If Tenebe’s egregious comments do not run afoul of these extant rules, I wonder what else will. Yet, mum is the word in the entire justice system. Instead, as the emperor he claims to be, rather than walk back his incendiary rhetoric, Tenebe recklessly doubled down with a “Holy Ghost fire” blasphemy. What is worse,
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