By Chris Osa Nehikhare
It is with deep sorrow and a profound sense of loss that I pay tribute to Hon. Charles Idahosa, fondly known as Charlie Tempo, who passed on Saturday, December 20th. Edo State has lost a political giant and one of its most respected public communicators.
Hon. Idahosa served Edo State with distinction as Commissioner for Information and later as Special Adviser (Political Affairs) to the Edo State Government. He was an experienced politician in the truest sense – seasoned, grounded, and deeply connected to the grassroots. Charlie Tempo understood power not merely as authority, but as service, and politics not as noise, but as responsibility.
Blessed with rare institutional memory spanning both military and civilian administrations, he was a living archive of Edo State’s political evolution. His counsel was always rich with context, history, and wisdom – steadying in moments of uncertainty and insightful in times of change.
Beyond titles and offices, he was jovial, warm, and disarmingly humane. He related easily with people from all walks of life and earned respect not through intimidation, but through character. Those who encountered him – political allies and opponents alike – recognized in him a man of balance, loyalty, and uncommon political intelligence.
As someone who had the honour of serving as Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, I regarded Hon. Charles Idahosa as more than a predecessor in office. I held him in the highest esteem – a reference point, and a standard of professionalism in public communication. His legacy in that office remains enduring.
Edo State will remember Charlie Tempo as a man who gave his all, spoke his truth with courage, laughed easily, and served faithfully.
His absence will be deeply felt, but his contributions will long endure in our political institutions and collective memory.
May his soul rest in perfect peace, and may his family, friends, and the people of Edo State find comfort in the rich life he lived and the indelible mark he left behind.