Edo Elders urge Nigerians to cease attacks on Oba of Benin

• A coalition of civil society organizations in Edo state has condemned the "unwarranted barrage of insults and abuses" directed at the Oba of Benin
• The coalition, under the Edo Socio-Cultural Advancement and Good Governance Initiative, described the attacks as "childish, unwarranted
• The coalition stressed that the Oba's dutybound to remain apolitical and correct erroneous remarks

Edo State - A coalition of civil society organizations in Edo State has strongly condemned the "unwarranted barrage of insults and abuses" directed at the Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty Oba Ewuare II, by supporters of the Labour Party and its gubernatorial candidate, Olumide Akpata.

Legit.ng recalls that in a video released last week, the Oba of Benin was observed clarifying distinctions regarding who is considered a palace son and who should be referred to as a son of the soil to the Edo gubernatorial candidate.

Oba of Benin and Labour Party guber candidate, Akpata Photo credit: @xcluda1/@OlumideAkpata
Source: UGC

Following this, some Nigerians voiced their dissatisfaction on social media regarding the Oba's clarification.

Condemnation of Attacks

The coalition, operating under the umbrella of the Edo Socio-Cultural Advancement and Good Governance Initiative, expressed shock and disappointment over the matter, Vanguard reported.

The group, however, described the attacks as "childish, unwarranted and unacceptable behaviour" of some alleged Labour Party supporters on various social media platforms, Daily Trust reported.

In a press statement made available to journalists, the coalition's spokesman, Comrade Melvin Irabor, stated, "Our Oba was not out of place in correcting the erroneous remarks and insinuations by the Labour Party Candidate, Barr. Olumide Akpata, for claiming to be the 'Son of the Palace'."

Social media abuses

The coalition highlighted the "barrage of abuses" targeted at the revered Oba of Benin by Akpata's supporters on certplatforms.

Irabor read out some of the "disappointing comments," including one by a user named Richard Wilson, who described the Oba as a "useless ruler," and another by Evang. Paschal Chidiebere, suggested that the Oba would have "warmly received" Akpata if he had brought "money full of 'Ghana must go.'"

Oba's role and responsibilities

The coalition emphasized that the Oba of Benin, as the "mouthpiece of the gods and the revered royal father of the kingdom," must remain apolitical and correct any candidate making "erroneous remarks and insinuations."

He said:

Call for respectful campaigns

The coalition warned Labour Party supporters to desist from insulting the Oba, stating that such actions would be considered an "affront on the palace."

Irabor also called on all political parties to conduct their campaigns in a "democratic manner and keep the campaign issues-based."

Benin Oba cautions Edo LP candidate Akpata on 'son of palace' claim

In a related development, the Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty Oba Ewuare II, has corrected Labour Party candidate Olumide Akpata's claims of being a ‘child of the Palace’.

The incident occurred when Akpata, along with former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, visited the revered Oba at his palace in Benin City.

During the meeting, Akpata repeatedly referred to himself as a “son of the Palace” in both English and the local dialect.

However, the Oba swiftly dismissed these assertions, revealing that he had asked one of his chiefs to verify Akpata’s claims and found that the candidate had no direct or distant links to the Palace.

Source: Legit.ng