Ahead of next year’s gubernatorial election in Edo state, a member of the Benin Royal Family and Enogie of Obazuwa, His Royal Highness Edun Akenzua, MFR, has advised traditional rulers in the state to desist from partisan politics.
HRH Edun Akenzua told The Reliance in Benin City that as royal fathers, it was improper for traditional rulers to be involved in political partisanship.
According to him, the traditional rulers by their natural positions are fathers to all the people in their respective domains, saying that as such it will be improper for them to support some politicians against others in their areas of jurisdictions.
“He said “in the circumstance we have found ourselves now, I don’t think traditional rulers should be involved in partisan politics. Politics, as we have it now, is very, very un-African.
“Partisan politics have a way of dividing communities; one group will be in party A while another group will be in party B. Meanwhile, all these people are the subjects of the traditional rulers.
“So, if the traditional rulers decide to join or support party A or B, then he has succeeded in dividing his own kingdom with his own action. Therefore, for peace and harmony to reign in the domain of the traditional rulers, they should leave partisanship politics for the politicians.
“However, there is nothing wrong for traditional rulers to support winners in the elections, be it president, governor or what have you. By so doing, the traditional ruler will be helping the government to bring about peace and development not only in his own community but the state or country at large.
“This is so because, the president or governor has become the president or governor of all and not of a particular political party”, he added.
HRH Edun Akenzua who is the founding father of Benin Leaders of Thoughts, a social political pressure group in Edo state, however expressed displeasure over unfavourable treatment of Traditional Rulers Council by the government.
He stated that the council though established by the government as an advisory body, ensures there is peace and harmony in their different domains and beyond.
The Enogie however expressed regrets that the traditional rulers council is always embarrassed any time the government sanctions traditional rulers without recourse to the council, thereby leaving its members in the dark or to depend on the media to get the information.
The royal father was of the view that since it was the government that established the traditional rulers council, it was also proper for the same government to always seek the views or opinions of the council before taking action affecting any of its members.
“If there is anything done or action taken by any traditional ruler that the government is not happy about or that embarrassed the government, I would expect the government to go back to the body it set up to look into the matter and recommend to the government the necessary sanction, if need be.
“But I am not happy that often than not, traditional rulers read on the pages of newspapers government actions, against fellow traditional rulers. The question always in my mind is why did the government establish the council in the first place, if it cannot tell the body what it’s member does wrong before punishing him?
“An example of what I am saying now was the suspension and later dethronement of the traditional ruler of Uromi in Edo State by the then governor of the state, Adams Oshiomhole. It was on the pages of newspapers the rest of us knew what the government had done.
“I was a member of the council then and nobody said anything to us before and after the action was taken. We just heard about it like others people in the media. To me, that was not good enough.
“Unfortunately, the council could not say or do anything about it because it was not involved in the matter. It shouldn’t be so.
“It was the colonial masters that introduced the system of issuing staff of office traditional rulers and even after independence several decades ago, the Nigerian government does not feel there is need to do the right thing. You can imagine the government saying it must give staff of office to traditional rulers before recognizing them.
“The truth of the matter is that Traditional rulers are chosen and anointed by their people and therefore government ought not to again issue them staff of office as a symbol of authority,” the Enogie of Obazuwa stated.
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