The Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, yesterday said the credentials of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo are making other contestants to shiver.
The Oba said this when Osinbajo visited him in his palace in Benin, the Edo State capital, to meet with delegates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the party’s presidential primary election where he hoped to get the presidential ticket of the party.
According to the monarch, he has always been an admirer of the vice president’s eloquence and commended him for his respect for culture and tradition.
Ewuare II thanked Osinbajo for the visit to his palace stating that he was scheduled to be in Abuja for some official engagement but had to stay back to receive him.
“We got a letter from your office just the day before yesterday (Tuesday) that the Vice President is coming. We had to put the trip on hold.
“We have heard the reasons why you are here. We don’t need to over-flog your credentials, they speak for themselves. Because of your credentials, humility, calmness, there is no gainsaying that your contestants are shivering where they are.”
In his speech, Osinbajo said President Muhammadu Buhari had exposed him enough to critical decisions and programmes about Nigeria which he said has equipped him with the capacity to lead Nigeria.
He said: “I am here today on a political visit but for obvious reasons to ensured that I must start from the palace. I am here to consult with party members who are delegates in our forthcoming delegates’ convention.
“On April 11th, I formally declared to vie for the presidency of this country. I have been exposed to many things in government. I commend the president who has been generous to ensure that I participate in every policy decision making of government. I have the exposure at the highest level in government and the capacity to govern the country.
“I started teaching at the age of 24 and I have served in several capacities and I assure you that I will do the very best I can for the country.”
Meanwhile, Oba Ewuare II took a swipe at the political class who he accused of always abandoning the electorate after elections.
He said: “Like the businessman will say customers are kings, in election, the electorate are supposed to be kings but that is not what we have in Nigeria. We have leaders who get to office and enrich themselves and forget the electorate whereas without the electorate, nobody can occupy any political office, especially elected office.
“Some of these politicians use all kinds of tactics to get the votes of the electorate and at the end of the day, they abandon the electorate.
“I want to appeal to the politicians to make this country great because Nigeria is blessed with great human and natural resources but Nigeria is still in a bad state.
“We want to be able to stay in Nigeria and enjoy the good things of life not in Dubai or in the US, now we are even running to Ghana. We should change all these, Nigeria should be a destination point.”
The Benin Monarch moreover, commended the federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari for the role it is playing to ensure that stolen artefacts were returned to their original owners.
THISDAY
