Edo govt warns against dragging Oba of Benin into politics

The Edo State government has warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other political actors in the state against dragging the Benin royal palace and the revered monarch, His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, the Oba of Benin, into their dirty and retrogressive politics.

The Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, gave the warning, while briefing journalists, yesterday, at the Government House, Benin City.

Nehikhare said that recent findings revealed that members of the APC in the state have been propagating distasteful and demeaning information against the Benin monarch, urging Edo people to be wary of political parties who thrive on lies and propaganda.

He said: “We all admit that we are going into election season, and a lot of campaign of calumny and mudslinging is ongoing. It has become clear that the opposition APC intends to drag the reputation of our revered Royal Majesty into the murky waters of their dirty politics. Members of the APC are openly propagating this distasteful and demeaning information against the royal palace.

“Clearly, they have decided to weaponise negative campaigns against our respected traditional institutions, as their only strategy for the coming election because they don’t have a sellable candidate, lack the intelligence to market their bad product.

“We want to warn them that these disrespectful comments about our traditional institutions are not a strategy for a campaign; but since they have brought forward a bad candidate for Edo people, PDP will trounce them on September 21, 2024 governorship election.”

Warning against misinformation and fake news ahead of guber polls, Nehikhare noted: “Journalists have a role to play in this matter, as they need to be neutral. When a party takes on lies and propaganda, such a party has nothing to offer the Edo people. The party lacks people with character, capacity and intellect. Hence, it will end up with a candidate they can’t campaign for or are ashamed to campaign for.

Reeling some of the state government’s achievements that will lead to victory for the PDP, the Commissioner said: “This government is the only government in Nigeria that today pays N70,000 minimum wage. We are not the state with the highest allocation or Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), but our people matter to us. This government gives automatic employment to its citizens with first class.”