Esther was of the stock of the Jews. As a matter of fact, her uncle Mordecai was among the Jews that were carried into captive to Shushan. By a stroke of luck, Esther became a queen by marrying King Ahasuerus. Esther’s elevation purchased favour for the captive Jews, particularly Mordecai, who was appointed to be at the King’s gate.
Mordecai’s rising profile and closeness to the King angered some members of the cabal in the palace, headed by Haman. Haman took it as a task to see to the elimination of Mordecai. He did everything to implicate the innocent man, but to no avail.
But he was always reporting his frustration to his wife, who also was in the habit of warning him to be careful with Mordecai.
Mordecai was not oblivious of the plot against him and his fellow captives, and he was also feeding Esther with the reports of what he was encountering at the gate and the level of hatred Haman nursed against him. A trap was set for Haman, and he fell into it.
Esther invited the King and Haman to a dinner. Haman was all over the places celebrating the honour of being singled out among the King’s men to be invited by the queen for a dinner. He told the wife, and had plotted to use the occasion to perfect his plan to deal with Mordecai. But things did not go his way.
The king and Haman went to Esther’s dinner, and while they were drinking wine, the king asked her, “What can I do for you? Just ask, and I will give you as much as half of my kingdom.”
Esther replied, “Your Majesty, if you really care for me and are willing to do what I want, please come again tomorrow with Haman to the dinner I will prepare for you. At that time I will answer Your Majesty’s question.”
Haman was feeling great as he left. But when he saw Mordecai at the palace gate, he noticed that Mordecai did not stand up or show him any respect. This made Haman really angry, but he did not say anything.
When Haman got home, he called together his friends and his wife Zeresh and started bragging about his great wealth and all his sons. He told them the many ways that the king had honored him and how all the other officials and leaders had to respect him. Haman added, “That’s not all! Besides the king himself, I’m the only person Queen Esther invited for dinner. She has also invited the king and me to dinner tomorrow. But none of this makes me happy, as long as I see that Jew Mordecai serving the king.”
His wife and friends said to him, “Have a gallows built about 22 meters high, and tomorrow morning ask the king to hang Mordecai there. Then later, you can have dinner with the king and enjoy yourself.”
He had the gallows built.
Now the dinner was set; the king and Haman were dining with Esther and drinking wine during the second dinner, when the king again said, “Esther, what can I do for you? Just ask, and I will give you as much as half of my kingdom!”
Esther answered, “Your Majesty, if you really care for me and are willing to help, you can save me and my people. That’s what I really want, because a reward has been promised to anyone who kills my people. Your Majesty, if we were merely going to be sold as slaves, I would not have bothered you.”
Enraged, King Ahasuerus asked: “Who would dare to do such a thing?”
Esther replied with venom, “That evil Haman is the one out to get us!”
Haman was terrified, as he looked at the king and the queen.
The king was so angry that he got up, left his wine, and went out into the palace garden. Haman realised that the king had already decided what to do with him, and he stayed and begged Esther to save his life.
Just as the king came back into the room, Haman got down on his knees beside Esther, who was lying on the couch. The king shouted, “Now you’re even trying to rape my queen here in my own palace!”
As soon as the king said this, his servants covered Haman’s head. Then Harbona, one of the king’s personal servants, said, “Your Majesty, Haman built a gallows 22 meters high beside his house, so he could hang Mordecai on it. And Mordecai is the very one who spoke up and saved your life.”
Every other thing is now history.
Invitation to dinners by kings is always the dream of very important personalities (VIPs) in any society. It did not start today as could be seen from the account above. We have heard and read about presidential banquets; kings’ banquets and such like. But when the dinners and banquets are organised and called at the instance of queens (first ladies) wahala dey.
Aisha Buhari has been in the news since the husband; Muhammadu Buahri became the president in 2015. At a point, it was said that she was not happy with the way her husband was going about with the duty of office. She spoke out on the domination of the government by some members of cabal and went ahead to fight a number of them. She has been off and on in the country for some time now. Reports had it that she now leaves in Dubai.
Read also: To be a President, dine with Aisha Buhari, President’s wife
When she launched a book in April last year, Bola Ahmed Tinubu was the chairman of that august event. Today, the conviviality that was enjoyed at the book launch may not be exactly the same at the dinner because at the moment “Onweghi onye ma ndi ana eze.” Even at the Villa. This is particularly so because none of the presidential aspirants on the All Progressives Congress platform can say he is that preferred candidate of the President. Nothing is sacrosanct as far as endorsement is concerned.
Aisha Buhari last Thursday invited leading presidential aspirants from various political parties to the State House Conference Centre for an iftar dinner.
It was also gathered that the invited persons were asked not to come to the venue of the dinner with their phones, and only carry their invitation cards which would serve as the only entry permit for the event.
Why the First Lady decided to invite aspirants from other parties is a riddle many people have found difficult to unravel. Does she have an expose’ to make on any of them? Has any of the aspirants already built gallows somewhere to hang another, but karma wants to take its toll? Does Aisha not know that bringing aspirants of other parties into the Villa would make them intensify their efforts to take over the reins of power in 2023, after beholding the splendor, and the aroma of the queen’s dinner that oozes out from the fortress?
Or who is the First Lady targeting to punish or recommend to be punished? Does she want to use the gathering of “unlike terms” to relaunch her relevance in a big way before her final exit from the Villa? Too many questions are running “kiriti-kiriti” on the minds of many a Nigerian.
But if what transpired at the Dinner that was killed by Queen Esther is anything to go by, not everyone that will attend the “Owambe” will leave there in high spirit, except and only if the Hamans would choose to stay away; that is, if there are any.
The question is, are we likely going to see anyone going to the gallows at the end of the dinner?
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