Heritage Confirmed: Oba of Benin Declares Akpata a True Son of the Soil

Olumide Akpata, the Labour Party (LP) candidate for the September 21, 2024 governorship election in Edo State, highlighted the significance of the recent clarification made by the Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty Oba Ewuare II, regarding his heritage as a true son of Benin Kingdom.

Akpata recounted his visit to the palace of the Benin monarch after the flagoff of his campaign train, where he paid homage and inadvertently referred to himself as a son of the palace, only to be corrected by the Oba, who emphasised his status as an indigenous son of Benin.

The former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) expressed gratitude for the clarification, noting the importance of respecting traditions and cultures, and lamented how his opponents attempted to twist the monarch’s words for political gain, emphasising the monarch’s confirmation of his Benin heritage as a significant moment in his political journey.