Monarch of Benin Kingdom, Omo N’Oba Uku Akpolokpolo Erediauwa, has reiterated for the umpteenth time that he does not endorse and has not endorsed any of the candidacies of President Goodluck Jonathan of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and General Muhammadu Buhari (retired) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) or any other.
The Iyase (or Prime Minister), Chief Sam Igbe made the clarification on Friday afternoon inside the palace of the Benin Traditional Kingdom on behalf of the monarch in the presence of many senior palace chiefs.
The clarification particularly attacked and repudiated the claim by two highly ranked palace chiefs that Oba Erediauwa has endorsed Jonathan for re-election and also, a running broadcast advertisement the PDP made from the visit of the Crown Prince and Edaiken N’Uselu, Prince Eheneden Erediauwa to Aso Rock last year, where he conveyed his father’s message to the President.
Reading a communiqué that was adopted by all the palace chiefs at a closed-door meeting held to review the political division in the traditional kingdom on Thursday, Chief Igbe said the monarch does not endorse candidates for political offices, even as no chief has been mandated to speak on behalf of the throne.
Igbe said, “It has come to the notice of the Oba’s Palace, Benin City, and the entire chiefs of the Oba of Benin, that since the present political activities involving various politicians in the contest for various political offices in the impending elections, in Edo State in particular, some of our chiefs have claimed to have made political statements on behalf of the Oba’s Palace.
As a result of these claims and the resulting controversies and counterclaims, all the Oba Palace chiefs, led by the Iyase of Benin, have met and duly resolved that the Omo N’Oba N’Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, has never mandated any of his chiefs to speak or make any political statements on his behalf, especially as to the choice of a political leader for favour in the forthcoming election.”
Speaking on the PDP campaign advert in which the Crown Prince was allegedly quoted to have said his father sent him to tell Jonathan that they would support his government, Igbe said the Oba, the palace and the chiefs consider it as an image-tarnishing fraud that should be discouraged by the sponsors and media houses.
“More worrisome to the Oba Palace is the political campaign strategy which some electronic media in the state have been running, since the past few days, to boost up support for a particular political party.
Surprisingly, the visit of His Royal Highness, the Edaiken N’Uselu to the Presidency, several months ago, which was meant to express or pledge the support or loyalty of the Benin Monarch and his people to the President’s government, is thus being unscrupulously used by overzealous politicians to whip up sentiments and boost support of the people for their party in Edo South Senatorial District in particular and Edo State in general,” Igbe added.
Igbe concluded, “The general public is hereby reminded that the Omo N’Oba has always believed that all citizens participating in political activities or are in one political party or another, are his subjects; and while loving all, the Omo N’Oba at the same time prays to the Almighty and the ancestors to give our great country and Edo State leaders who will accord the traditional institutions nationwide pride of place in our constitution…” Six senior palace chiefs signed the communiqué.
However, three dramatis personae were conspicuously absent. Apart from the Crown Prince, who was said to have travelled out of the country, they included the Isekhure of Benin Kingdom, Chief Nosakhare Isekhure; the Esogban of Benin Kingdom, Chief David Edebiri; and the Eson of Benin Kingdom, Chief Amos Osunbor.
Meanwhile, in a related development, the younger brother of the Monarch, the Enogie of Obazuwa, Prince Edun Akenzua, has spoken stoutly in defence of Esogban of Benin, Chief Edebiri, who stirred the hornet’s nest last month with a statement that Benin people were patiently waiting to vote out President Jonathan.
Akenzua said Edebiri merely exercised his freedom of speech. Esogban, an appointee of the Monarch to lead the Benin Forum, the socio-political group of Benin people, had premised his reason on allegations that Jonathan had a disdain for Benin sons and daughters in his administration and that the President tacitly supported the break-up of the marriage of a former Minister of State for Works.
Edebiri’s statement that Benin people will vote for Buhari and not Jonathan 20 times even if Jonathan postpones the presidential election 20 times angered two other senior chiefs, Chief Isekhure and Chief Osunbor, both of whom attacked Edebiri for attempting to speak for Benin people.
Reacting, Akenzua said, “Freedom of speech does not extend to a chief or member of the Royal Court to publicly and derisively criticize his colleague, like Eson did to Esogban, particularly when Esogban is senior to him in the hierarchy of chiefs. In the military or the uniformed forces, (such) erring person would be court marshalled.”
“And talking about the Esogban’s comment that the Benins will not vote for President Jonathan, which he is being criticized for, Esogban has said nothing new.
I have also said it severally that we the Benins have not benefitted anything from the administration of President Jonathan,” Akenzua concluded.
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