By Eben Enasco Kingsley, Benin City
The Crown Prince of Benin Kingdom, His Royal Highness (Amb) Eheneden Erediauwa has describe Governor Adams Oshiomhole as a miracle worker while wishing the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mr. Godwin Obaseki well in the face of the fourth coming governorship elections in the State.
He made the expressions when he played host to APC governors on Saturday prior to the campaign flag off of the party at the palace of the Heir Apparent, Uselu in Benin City;
The Edaiken said it is not good to be in the opposition. The Edaiken who praised Governor Adams Oshiomhole said, “On behalf of the chiefs, the royal family and the Benin Kingdom, I want to specially welcome here the gubernatorial aspirant and his running mate, the one I call my son. He is always so shy.
I don’t know how he is able to play politics. I want to welcome all of you for coming here today. I am very delighted and honoured to see the chieftains of the APC, and we are sure that the state is moving on strong with the APC. I have always said one thing, and I have repeated and reiterated it over and over again that in Benin, the Benin Monarch is not partisan. However, it is not always too easy to be in the opposition with the party at the centre in Abuja.”
He continued, “So, when Adams Oshiomhole, the Comrade Governor took the reins of office here, and it was APC; the PDP was in charge in Abuja; we were all wondering: how is he going to do it? How is he going to get the attention of the federal government? How is he going to pool all the resources that he needs to work in the state? As you all know, he worked miracles. He did a lot of things which many people thought could not be done. Almost along the same line the Governor of Lagos State at the time also, Fashola. So, they were virtually like two brothers working together in the face of the opposition.”
He said, “So, we can only pray that may the Lord God almighty and our ancestors protect the gubernatorial candidates, give them the wisdom to put food on the table of the masses because for us, our first concern is the people, the masses, and of course, he will be a great respecter, like our comrade Governor, I said he should do better than him, to be a great respecter of the traditional institution.”
The Crown Prince added, “So, I want to thank you all very much and wish that the gubernatorial aspirant will do their best to improve on the Comrade Governor’s work in the State. It is going to be a lot of work to beat. He has set standards that other governors, they have to beat. I want to thank you very much, because I know the time is far spent and you are starting the campaign now. On behalf of our family, the chiefs, I want to wish you well.”
Speaking on behalf of the APC governors, the Chairman of Progressives Governors and Governor of Imo State, Mr. Rochas Okorocha said, “We are happy to be here because for every journey that has a beginning, it will have an end. And we have seen in sight an end to one journey, and hence we are rushing fast to introduce the remaining one. Adams Oshiomhole is one man in this country that you cannot afford not to count when you are counting the northerners. He has passion for Edo State. He has made his mark, but if after all these good jobs, there should be a continuation, so that we, as my brother rightly put it yesterday, that we will not go back to Egypt. Governance is the one that relates with the people. And for the whole party to have looked at all the candidates, not because he is the finest, not because he is the tallest, and have chosen him means that certain qualities of Adamism are in him. They started right and they said we should accompany him here. And the first to visit the stream takes the cleanest of the water.”
He said, “The manner in which he has kept this palace and dignified it, we are requesting that he will even do better. He will do same, and even do better, because in our party APC led by President Buhari, it is not a government of deceit. It is a government of reality. So, we pray that Edo people will give him support and we shall come here in November to say certain words to you.”
Earlier, Governor Adams Oshiomhole said, “We are here, your royal highness, to present to your highness, and we feel very privileged to be the first to present the very senior applicant to your highness. And we believe with your blessings and prayers, and knowing your commitment, the peace, security, development and continuous growth and development of this great kingdom, and indeed of the entire Edo State, and of which you know, your highness, we are unanimous. There is only one paramount traditional ruler in this great state.”
Oshiomhole said, “For me, therefore, it is a rare privilege that you granted us the honour and opportunity to present the person who is applying for my job. So, we are privileged to present to you Godwin Obaseki as our gubernatorial candidate for the September 10 election. We ask for your prayers, your blessings and all that you have done for me before, which I pray should be extended to him, because he himself must do much better than I was able to do.”
Among the Progressives governors that visited the Benin Crown Prince with Governor Oshiomhole were Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, Simon Lalong of Plateau State, Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna State, Abdulahi Ganduje of Kano State, Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State as well as deputy governors of Niger, Nasarawa, Jigawa, Borno, Kwara, Kogi and Oyo states.
