Battle of wits rages among senior Benin chiefs over endorsement of Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari in the forthcoming presidential election, writes Special Correspondent, TITUS OISE, writes.
That the general elections, earlier scheduled for February 14 and 28, 2015 had been rescheduled for March 28 and April 11 is no longer the issue. It is also not a matter of argument that President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and General Mohammadu Buhari of All Progressives Congress (APC) are the two leading presidential candidates.
What, however, seems the issue, and which, in fact, is tearing Edo State into two, is the tacit endorsement of Buhari by David Edebiri a prominent chief of Benin Kingdom.
Trouble started when Edebiri, the Esogban of Benin kingdom, who doubles as the Chairman of Benin Forum (BF), a popular socio-political group, suddenly declared that the Bini would not vote for President Jonathan because of alleged marginalisation of the kingdom by the PDP-led federal government.
The Forum is a steering committee put in place by the Benin traditional ruler (Oba of Benin) for the welfare and development of the kingdom. Whatever pronouncement from BF carries so much weight because it’s believed to be the wish of the highly respected monarch.
But in this case, the unilateral endorsement of Buhari by Edebiri seems to have met a brick wall, as a number of members of the Forum insist that the Esogban can only speak for himself, his household and not for the Palace.
Our reporter, in fact, gathered that some members of the Forum have already passed a vote of no confidence on Edebiri for his alleged inability to properly manage the affairs of the body in accordance with its constitution. There are indications that the Esogban has been asked to step down as chairman of the Forum, for allegedly misleading the people of Benin kingdom, contrary to the position and direction of the Benin monarch.
The simmering crisis came to a head on Tuesday, February 17, when another prominent Benin chief, Amos Osunbor, the Eson of Benin Kingdom, in a press conference countered Edebiri over his earlier declaration that the Bini would not vote for President Jonathan.
Osunbor had told his audience that his mission was to speak and correct an erroneous misinformation that was peddled by Edebiri, that the Bini would not vote for President Jonathan because of what he (Edebiri) perceived as marginalisation of the Bini.
“My first reaction was to ignore him and the very vexations remarks he made, but I thought otherwise because of the inherent danger such unguarded statement portends for our people. So, I have decided to call him to order in my capacity as the Eson of Benin Kingdom (third in hierarchy of chiefs in Benin Kingdom). I wish to stress the fact that Esogban is not the highest ranking chief; rather it is the Iyase of Benin kingdom, who is the Prime Minister,” Osunbor had said.
“I am speaking from my dignified palace position to call on Chief Edebiri to desist from dragging the honour of the palace and that of the Bini people to murky political water. He should stop staking the commonwealth of the Bini for his personal aspiration. No one else, except the monarch, has a right to speak for the Bini.
“I wish to profoundly state categorically that the Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo (Oba), through our revered crown prince, Ehenede, had already expressed his desire to have President Jonathan serve a second term, to enable him complete the transformation programmes that he has already started.”
He added that he (Edebiri) is a subject of the Oba and the crown prince, and he cannot be seen or heard to be challenging their authority.
Interestingly, Edo Youths Organisation, an umbrella body of youths in Edo State, has warned those criticising Edebiri to stop doing so, or risk being banished from Benin Kingdom. In a terse statement signed by its president, Derick Uhunmwango, the group described the criticisms as unconstructive, while challenging the critics to dispute whether the issues raised by the Esogban were true or false.
According to Uhunmwango, “Chief Edebiri is one of our respected royal fathers in Benin Kingdom. That is why we pity those criticising his comments because they don’t know the consequences of being banished. How can they say Jonathan will get votes in Edo land when, even recently, the wife of one of our brothers, Prof. Omorogbe, who was Permanent Secretary/Legal Adviser to NNPC, was sacked?”
It was, however, gathered that the palace hierarchy is not happy with the on-going battle of wits among top chiefs in the kingdom over the endorsement of a presidential candidate.
A palace source told TheNiche in confidence that the warring chiefs have been warned to desist from dragging the name of the palace into partisan politics, as the Benin monarch remains a father to the two leading presidential candidates.
Meanwhile, Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has decided to remain aloof, as the battle of the chiefs rages.
Now, the question is, who gets the endorsement of the palace between Jonathan and Buhari?
