Benin monarch’s brother flays Edebiri’s critics

THE Enogie of Obazuwa, a younger brother of the Oba of Benin, Prince Edun Akenzua, Wednesday carpeted those calling for the resignation of the Esogban of Benin Kingdom, Chief David Edebiri over his position that the Binis would not vote President Goodluck Jonathan in the March 28 presidential elections.

   He said his antagonists lacked the powers to do so since Edebiri was nominated by the Oba of Benin.

  Speaking to journalists, he said: “I am a member of Benin Forum, all those who are calling for Esogban’s resignation have no locus to make such call. If they felt he said something they do not agree with, they should write to the Oba who nominated Esogban as chairman of the Benin Forum not these people to be calling from outside that he should resign. Esogban has a right to say that the Benins should not vote for Jonathan.

  “What Esogban said in that report about the Benins, tallies with what I myself have been saying over the years that the Benin people, that when you look at the votes that the President got in Edo State, he got more than 50 per cent of more than the votes he got in Edo State from Edo South, because we have the population. Having done that I am surprised that there is no Edo South man or woman who is in the President’s cabinet, so why.

   “Even our own sons and daughters who are PDP members have not asked the President why it is so. That surprises me because he got so much votes here. All the Ministerial appointments, prime board appointments, all of them are from Edo Central. Port Authority chairman is Chief Anenih himself, Minister of Works Onolemenmen from the same Uromi, Executive Secretary of the NUC from there, INEC member from there, every position you can think about are from Edo Central and Uromi, so what are you talking about.” 

   “Now they talked about road, the road they are talking about the Benin-Ore road, thye have been doing it since the tenure of President Obasanjo. Now they have completed the part of that road, Benin Ofusu axis, so it will be insulting the intelligence of the Benin people if they say that is what they have benefited from this Jonathan’s administration. That road there, they call it priority road in the time of Okotie Eboh when they started it.”

  He added: ‘‘And that road does not terminate in Benin, it led to the Southeast, South South and the North. It is for everybody, you cannot now say that is what they have done for the Benins. The Benin politicians who are PDP members have a duty to ask the President what the Benins have benefited from that administration. Not long ago, a member of the PDP came here to say that they have now influence the Federal Government to re-plan the railway route coming to Edo state.

  “Initially it terminated somewhere in Edo Central. The man who was talking said that it had been redrawn and now it will pass through Edo South to Warri. He said it but I have not seen the diagram at all. Esogban said what he has observed; many people who love Edo South will tell you that Esogban has not misfired at all. So those people asking him to resign has no locus to say that.”