Oba of Benin Fires Labour Party Guber Candidate, Akpata Against Claiming Palace Son
Click here to watch video of how Oba of Benin Fire LP Candidate
In a surprising reprimand during a recent visit, His Royal Majesty Oba Ewuare II of Benin declared that Labour Party candidate Olumide Akpata should not present himself as a “child of the Palace.”
The incident took place when Akpata, alongside former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, visited the Oba at his palace in Benin City. During the meeting, Akpata referred to himself as a “son of the Palace” in both English and the local dialect.
The Oba swiftly refuted these claims, revealing that he had asked one of his chiefs to investigate Akpata’s assertions, only to discover that Akpata had no familial ties to the Palace.
“You are an industrious son of the soil, but to say you are a child of the Palace…I am not aware that any of my children is contesting or is a politician. So I need to make that clarification for the sake of the public and the fourth estate of the realm,” stated the Oba.
The Oba’s clear disavowal of Akpata’s self-proclaimed status seemed to upset the Labour Party candidate, who responded that although he might not be a child of the Palace, he was certainly a child of the kingdom.
A member of Akpata’s entourage expressed disappointment with the Oba’s public correction, suggesting it should have been done privately. However, the Labour Party member acknowledged the Oba’s authority, stating, “We are not really happy with the manner in which our candidate was rebuked by the Oba for claiming to be the son of the palace. In my opinion, any Benin or Edo person is a son of the palace, as we all came from the same source. He should have rebuked him in private and not in the full glare of the press and our guest. But he is our Oba, and he can’t be wrong.”
