The Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty Oba Ewuare II, has dismissed claims by Labour Party candidate Olumide Akpata that he is a “son of the Palace”.
Akpata, accompanied by former presidential candidate Peter Obi, met with the monarch at his palace, where he repeatedly referred to himself as a “son of the Palace”.
However, the Oba swiftly corrected him, stating that an investigation by one of his chiefs found no evidence of Akpata’s alleged royal lineage, according to Politics Nigeria.
The Oba’s clarification has put to rest Akpata’s claims of having a direct or indirect connection to the Palace.
The meeting was part of Akpata’s campaign tour, seeking support for his governorship bid in the upcoming election.
“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,” the Oba remarked.
A member of Akpata’s entourage later expressed disappointment with the Oba’s public rebuke, stating that the correction should have been made privately instead of in the presence of the press. However, the Labour Party member acknowledged that as the Oba, “he can’t be wrong.”
His words: “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”.
