The governorship campaign council of the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Senator Monday Okpebholo Campaign Organisation, on Thursday faulted Governor Godwin Obaseki’s move to resolve the impasse between some Dukes (Enigie) of Benin Kingdom and the Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Oba Ewuare II, Oba of Benin.
They claimed Governor Obaseki was pretending and was actually the architect of the crisis.
It would be recalled that some Enigie, led by Professor Gregory Akenzua, the Enogie of Evbobanosa/Abudu, and an uncle to the Omo N’Oba, had taken the Benin monarch to an Edo State High Court in Benin, challenging the Oba’s power to suspend them as Dukes of their various dukedoms.
The Enigie contended in their suit that only Governor Obaseki reserves the right to suspend them and asked the court to declare their suspension by the Omo N’Oba as null and void.
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Governor Obaseki, in an attempt to resolve the issue, met with Professor Akenzua and some of the Enigie at the professor’s house, where he hinted that he would reconcile the warring parties, assuring that he would meet with the Iyase of Benin (Traditional Prime Minister) to discuss withdrawing the court case to pave the way for an amicable resolution.
However, reacting to the governor’s move, the Okpebholo Campaign Organisation asked Governor Obaseki to allow the revered Oba of Benin to handle the matter and stop pretending to be brokering peace when, in reality, he is the “chief instigator” of the crisis.
The campaign organisation stated that it amounted to an abomination of Benin tradition for anyone to contemplate reconciliation between the Oba and his subjects.
The APC campaign organisation, in a statement issued on Thursday, said, “It’s better for the governor to focus on marketing his failed government and his ‘godson’ candidate, Mr. Asue Ighodalo, to Edo people than blowing hot and cold.”
The statement, endorsed by the Director of Media and Publicity, Mr. John Mayaki, said, “Godwin Obaseki lacks the authority, as it’s another abomination to Benin traditions and culture, to want to broker peace or settle our revered King with his subjects or suspended Enigie.”
The statement reads:
“What Governor Godwin Obaseki is saying or claiming he wants to do is comparable to a living creature (Man) saying he wants to broker peace between Almighty God and a creature of God who is a sinner.
“We are therefore not surprised, as Governor Godwin Obaseki has continued to show his lack of proper understanding of Benin traditions and customs. This, he has displayed several times over his almost eight years of misrule in Edo State.
“A few examples of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s lack of understanding of Benin traditional history and culture are the issue of the stolen artifacts from the palace of the Oba of Benin and the genuine cry of the true Benin man for them to be returned to the palace of the Oba of Benin and warehoused at the Benin Royal Museum rather than Obaseki’s Lagos boys’ EMOWAA Museum.
“We wish to praise our revered Oba of Benin for his usual fatherly role, candor, and disposition so far even in the face of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s continued provocation with his actions and policies against the Oba and the Benin Traditional Council.
“We also thank every true Benin son and daughter both at home and in the diaspora who has stood to defend our revered Oba and king as well as our cultural heritage against the intentions of Governor Obaseki.
“We call on Edo people to reject Governor Godwin Obaseki’s PDP and his ‘godson’ Asuen Ighodaro, who have since vowed in a public statement to continue with all the policies of his godfather, Governor Godwin Obaseki, in the upcoming September 21 Edo Governorship elections,” the statement said.
