The Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, on Thursday, said Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was eminently qualified to succeed the incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari, in the forthcoming 2023 general election.
Oba Ewuare II made the remarks when he received Osinbajo, one of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirants, and some executives of the party, who were on a courtesy visit to the palace in Benin City.
The Benin monarch said he admired the vice president’s credentials, which according to him, has, over the years, reflected in his career as a professor and pastor.
“You are eminently qualified for what you are running for. We do not need to overemphasize that. I pray that the voters will hear your voice. Again, It is now up to the voters to decide. Here in Benin, we will be praying for you and we have started praying for you. So, may the Almighty God and the ancestors hear your prayers and grant your heart desires.
“Your Excellency, we have heard the reasons why you are here. We don’t need to over flog your credentials; they speak for themselves everywhere. Your Excellency, I always admire your eloquence, the way you make your speeches. It is in your DNA, the way you weave words together, and put it across. I have always been your admirer.
“No doubt, If you have come out to run for the great office, I think you are going to give a lot of problems to your contestants. There is no gainsaying that your contestants are probably shivering where they are now. This is coupled with your calmness, humility, great respect for culture, and being a true man of God that has the fear of God in his heart,” he said.
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The Oba, who expressed worry over the rising poverty rate across the nation, said: “As a man of God and if by the grace of God, you are the man, you will have a lot to do to change the situation and make Nigeria a better place to live and a destination country in all spheres.
He, however, frowned at deceptive campaign policies by politicians, urging political office holders to always put the electorate first, fulfil their campaign promises and live up to the citizens’ expectations because without the voters, there will be no office for them to occupy as elected officials.
“If we have politicians that have the fear of God at the governornorship or presidential level, this country will be a better place. People contest for the governorship, presidential positions only to get there, rake the treasury, enrich themselves, leaving the electorate that put them there. This kind of thing should change.
“I wonder most of the time why politicians go out, make promises of all sought, use mischievous tactics to get votes from electorate, and at the end, they turn their back at the electorate. When another election is coming, they run back to the same electorate.
“I want to appeal to politicians to make this country, Nigeria, great again. We have resources, and if we use them very well, we will have a considerably small percentage of underprivileged persons. We have great human and mineral resources in this country. Why is there so much poverty in the country that leads to cultism, human trafficking?” he queried.
Earlier, Osinbajo said he was in Edo State to meet with APC delegates ahead of the party’s primaries, and that he decided to make the Oba’s palace his first port of call so as to officially inform the Benin monarch of his presidential ambition.
The vice president said that based on his experience in government, he is qualified for the post of the president.
“Being exposed to every sphere of governance as the Vice President, I have all it takes to lead this country. My desire has always been to serve this nation. I have the experience; I have the exposure to lead this country,” Osinbajo said.
Among the APC members who visited the palace of the Oba of Benin with the VP include Oserhiemen Osunbor, former Edo State governor, and David Imuse, Edo State chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
