President Bola Tinubu has appealed to the Omo N’ Oba N’ Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II, the Oba of Benin, to support the debate for an eight-year rotational presidency between the North and South to preserve Nigeria’s unity, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The appeal was delivered on Tuesday at the Benin Palace by Abdulaziz Yari, Director-General of the 2027 Presidential Campaign Council for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The former Governor of Zamfara State who spoke on behalf of President Tinubu, urged the royal father to back the power rotation principle to foster national cohesion and prevent disintegration.
Speaking to the monarch, Yari solicited the backing of the Benin Royal Palace to ensure the re-election of the APC presidential Candidate and pave the way for the administration to fulfill its objectives.
The leader of the delegation also stated, “your Majesty, I want to crave that your son (Tinubu) needs your support.
”This is a Country called Nigeria. God is merciful. God puts us together as one people, one Country.
Therefore, there is a protocol. We must respect that protocol. As long as we want to respect that protocol.
Asiwaju has done well.
“We should not make a mistake. In Northern Nigeria, we supported our own (Muhammadu Buhari). After his first tenure, we brought him back despite those challenges.
“So, we should give it to our son for Nigeria’s progress.
It is not time for us to pay back. We are going to do all we can because we are known for justice. We are known for fairness.
“We are going to work harder to ensure that Bola Asiwaju will be paid back for what he has done to us”, according to Yari.
Highlighting the administration’s economic track record, Yari noted that Nigeria’s annual GDP growth had risen from 2.7 percent in 2023 to 3.9 percent, while inflation had declined from 22.9 percent to 15.9 percent.
In his response, Omo N’ Oba N’ Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II called on Nigerians to support continuity in governance, clarifying that there is no point in seeking change simply for the sake of change.
“The Benin throne is not partisan. There is no point for change for the sake of change. That is not to say that I belong to one party or the other,” he said.
The Benin monarch also said, “in democracy there must be opposition when a party comes to power. I don’t see why an opposition party can’t support the ruling party”.
The first-class traditional ruler also cautioned against excessive criticism of political leaders, noting that nobody is perfect.
He queried, “Is there anybody who is so perfect as I am talking now? ”Nobody. I love and like peace and tranquillity. I am American and British trained as a diplom
Oba of Benin with Abdulaziz Yari during the later’s visit to the Oba’s palace on Tuesday in Benin.
at, and I say it the way it is”.
