Edo 2020: Command your boys to ceasefire, Oba of Benin tells candidates
Worried by the political violence ahead of the September 19 governorship election in Edo State, the Benin monarch, Oba Ewuare ll, on Wednesday called on political actors to prevail on their foot-soldiers and supporters to stop heating up the polity.
The Benin monarch made the call during a peace meeting with the chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and their governorship candidates in his palace.
“Please let the shooting stop. There is a way you can communicate through your footsoldiers and they will listen to you,” he said.
The Monarch, who threatened to discipline whoever disobeyed the order, noted that peace cannot be substituted for violence.
He urged the politicians to use the September 19 governorship election to place the state in the good books to be emulated by other states.
While enjoining the political actors to take a cue from former President Goodluck Jonathan, who conceded defeat, picked his telephone to congratulate the incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari, said that the cooperation from the candidates will go a long way to dousing the political tension and avert any planned violence prior and during the election.
Oba Ewuare II, who also urged the political actors to shelve plans of violence, asked them to commit themselves to a peaceful poll through a statement of assurance, in order to restore sanity to the state and shame naysayers that want the election to turnout bloody.
“The purpose of this meeting is to strongly appeal to politicians to control the youths and thugs that are against one another. I am not concerned about the sides they are but they are all one family.
“Family can quarrel but there must be resolution and that is what I want us to achieve today. I look at you all as family, as part of the palace family and I cannot have all of you fighting against one another. I have been harbouring a whole lot of unhappiness and the state has been in the news for some time for the wrong reasons,” he said.
“I want to ask the political actors in Edo State, why are you all doing this? The office is four years, why do you want lives to be lost? Why are you arming thugs? At the end of the day the thugs keep those guns with them,” he queried.
“We must show to develop countries that Edo State can surprise them. Please let the shooting stop. There is a way you communicate through your foot-soldiers and they will listen to you. Warning them that any one that go ahead will be disciplined. Let there be peace in Edo State,” he added.