The Reason Why Oba of Benin Ordered the Politicians to Emulate Jonathan

INTRO: The Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II charged the politicians seeking for the post of governorship position in Edo State this September 19, 2020 election in the State to emulate the former President Goodluck Jonathan. He regretted that Edo State has been in the news for the wrong reasons due to the politicking by the two gladiators: Adams Oshiomhole and Gov. Godwin Obaseki.

The Oba advised the politicians to emulate Goodluck Jonathan because of his humility and gentlemanly approach to his defeat at the polls in 2015.

In the words of the monarch:

“I don’t think we had reasons to call this kind of meeting. I appreciate the respect you gentlemen have shown to the traditional institution.

 

“Edo politics have been in the news for quite some time now for all the wrong reasons. We have sleepless nights for quite sometimes now because these are all our people; these are people of the same stock, from the same body. There is nobody that is a stranger to each other.

 

“I have been worried; I have been worried right from the time the conflict started between Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the former governor and the incumbent governor, His Excellency Godwin Obaseki.

 

“I want you to take your mind back to 2015. Before the final election results were announced, President Goodluck Jonathan picked up his telephone and called President Buhari.

“All the predictions, forecasts by the international community that Nigeria will break up, it is going to be on fire everything was quenched just by that singular act.

 

“I actually admire President Jonathan for his humility, for the gentlemanly way he handled 2015 election. “You are all political actors in Edo State knowing where you are coming from. You have been together, now you are not together.

 

“You confuse the press, you confuse the public, you are confusing everybody. Why are you all doing this? Is it just because of the office?

 

“It is for four years and at most another four years. Why will you now want lives to be lost? Why do we hear that you are arming thugs? Why?”

 

It will do the State and the entire Nigerian democracy a lot of good if the politicians listen to voice of reason because as former President Jonathan once said, “…political ambitions are not worth the blood of any Nigerian.” Violence is antithetical to developmental efforts of societies.