BENIN CITY—–The leadership of the All Progressives Congress in Edo State led by the State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has formally presented the Governor-elect, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, to the Benin Crown Prince, HRH Eheneden Erediauwa, the Edaiken N’ Uselu, following his recent victory in the governorship poll in the State.
Addressing the Crown Prince of Benin at his palace in Benin City, Tuesday, Governor Oshiomhole said, “We have come to pay your royal highness a courtesy visit. We feel very privileged that you granted us this audience to pay your highness a visit and to formally present to you what I can rightly described as the outcome of your prayers. When we were here, you asked God and the ancestors that of all those contesting, may God and the ancestors allow the one who will develop the Kingdom, put food on the table of the ordinary man in Edo State and above all, respect not only to the King, not only to the palace but to the tradition of the Benin Kingdom and traditional rulers for which your royal highness is the paramount ruler of our great state. That was your prayer. And therefore, at the end of the exercise, your son, Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki, emerged victorious with a huge margin. We all felt that having asked for your prayers and your highness prayed the way you did, and we believe the prayer has come to pass, because there was another leg of your prayers.”
He continued, “Your highness’s prayer was that you asked God and our ancestors in the face of all the tension and all the anxiety that enveloped the land, you asked God to intervene to ensure that the election comes and passes peacefully without any violence. Your royal highness, from what we know and from the official reports of the security agencies and even the election observers, everybody is unanimous that this is the most peaceful election conducted in recent times, particularly in the South-South geo-political zones in which not one person was shot, and as we speak, not one person is hospitalized.”
He further said, “So, I believe that everything we asked of the creator and of our ancestors were answered. So, we have come this afternoon to thank your royal highness for your leadership, for your prayers and to celebrate a violent-free and fair election, the first that has been conducted in recent years. On this occasion, everything went so peacefully. I believe it is a sign of many more things to happen under your reign, a kingdom that will witness peace and prosperity. So, I have come to perform the simple task of thanking your highness, and just for him by himself through his own lips to express his own gratitude as well. It remains for me to assure your royal highness, as the outgoing governor, as I look forward to November 12, I feel privileged that I will still be on the seat at Osadebe Avenue when the whole world will converge in this historic city to celebrate your coronation. This is the highest point of my stewardship in this great kingdom and in this great state.”
Also speaking, the Edo State Governor-elect, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, expressed gratitude to the Crown Prince and the royal family for their prayers that led to the success of his election, “I have come home to say, thank you. I went out to fight for a prize and I have come to tell you, my father, that I have brought the prize home. I know that it would have been almost impossible if God and ancestors through you and all the prayers did not sanction it. Today, I have come to say, thank you. In the course of politicking and campaigning a lot of things were said, and many of them as you know are untrue. But this was politics. I am happy here today that some of my uncles who are chiefs in the palace are here and have accompanied me to say, thank you.”
He continued, “I want to assure you that we are an integral part of your kingdom and we are integral part of the palace. I want to pledge my unalloyed loyalty to you and to the palace. I also want to ask you to help me thank the Comrade Governor. I am not sure that I would have been this successful to have been elected governor today if I didn’t have the full and forceful backing of Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole. And in conquering, he has set a new paradigm; he has set new examples for me to follow. He has been able to demonstrate to me why the traditional institution has be a very supportive part of our democracy. I have seen how he has reawakened the traditional institution, and I saw in the last election the strength and meaning of that institution.”
Responding, the Edaiken N’Uselu, Crown Prince Eheneden Erediauwa said the he had known Governor Oshiomhole from time immemorial saying, “When I say time immemorial, Oshiomhole has been a very good personal friend. It means before politics, before he even expressed his desire to enter politics and as he has said himself, at each step, at each stage to join politics, he came and informed me as his personal friend on a personal basis in privacy.”
“Comrade, do you think you can do all this politicking? Are you a politician by nature and all that? Eventually, as you have all seen from the beginning till now, he is very astute, aggressive warrior politician,” he said.
Expressing happiness that the governor had come with his entourage to his palace, the Crown Prince noted that God and the ancestors answered their prayers for the peaceful election, pointing out, “You took cognizance of the peace and tranquility that prevailed during the election. We were all worried before the election but we simply put our faith in God and our ancestors, we prayed harder. All I can say is I thank my God. I thank my ancestor for hearing our prayers.”
Calling for royal blessings for Governor Oshiomhole and Governor-elect, Mr. Obaseki as well as their families, the Crown Prince said, “He has done well and I would like all the chiefs keep on praying for the Comrade Governor and pray for his wife and pray for the governor-elect and his wife. I would like to appeal to Mr. Godwin Obaseki to use this opportunity to reverse some of the image which I don’t want to mention, which I have already advised him about, to reverse some of the not too pleasant image some people have of your family. Do your best as an individual, do your best as the governor of Edo State, that the people have chosen.”
Crown Prince Eheneden Erediauwa and the chiefs offered prayers for Governor Adams Oshiomhole and his wife, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and his wife and their respective families and future endeavours
