The Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty Oba Ewuare II, is the target of what a group of Edo State elders have called a “unwarranted barrage of insults and abuses” from Labour Party supporters and Olumide Akpata, the party’s gubernatorial candidate.
Shocked and disappointed, the elders, who are part of the Edo Socio-Cultural Advancement and Good Governance Initiative, took to social media to denounce what they called the “childish, unwarranted and unacceptable behaviour” of some Labour Party supporters.
On Saturday, just after opening the party’s campaign office in advance of the September 21 governorship election, LP’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi and Akpata made a courtesy call to the Oba’s palace. Throughout the visit, Akpata frequently referred to himself as a “son of the palace” in both English and the regional dialect in an attempt to win over the traditional ruler.
Oba Ewuare II, however, later refuted the assertion. A video clip that is circulating claims that the Oba quickly rejected his claim, saying that he had asked one of his chiefs to confirm Akpata’s claims and discovered that the candidate had no close or direct ties to the Palace.
Some of the supporters of the LP guber candidate were taken aback by the development, and they verbally attacked the Oba on social media. But in a statement provided on Tuesday, Comrade Melvin Irabor, the Elders’ group spokesman, stated that the Oba had every right to correct Akpata’s assertion that he was the “son of the palace.”
“By correcting the incorrect statements and implication made by Barr. Olumide Akpata, the Labour Party candidate, who claimed to be the ‘Son of the Palace,’ our Oba was not out of place,” Irabor stated. He said that on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, Akpata’s followers were bombarding them with a “barrage of abuses” directed at the revered Oba of Benin.
One user called the Oba a “useless ruler,” and another said that the Oba would have “warmly received” Akpata if he had brought “money full of ‘Ghana must go.'” Irabor read out some of the “disappointing comments.
” The group stressed that the Oba of Benin has an obligation to remain impartial and correct any candidate who makes “erroneous remarks and insinuations” because he is the “mouthpiece of the gods and the revered royal father of the kingdom.” “Our Oba has sent his blessings and support to every candidate running in this election.
“He wishes all of them well, and he is their father,” Irabor said. The elders said that insulting the Oba would be viewed as a “affront on the palace,” so the Labour Party members were cautioned to stop doing so.
In their statement, they urged all political parties to run their campaigns “democratically and keep the campaign issues-based.”
