Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, yesterday, said he would invite all the governorship candidates participating in the September 19 governorship election to his palace to sign a peace pact.
He said this when he received Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and his entourage in his palace.
The peace pact would enable the candidates to talk to their followers to eschew violence before, during and after the election, he said.
He said politicians must learn to emulate the immediate past president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who in the interest of peace and unity of the country accepted the outcome of the presidential election which eventually saw the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as president.
The royal father expressed sadness at the way politicians have turned the state into because of their personal interest, adding that as father to all, would not be happy when his children were always engaged in fights at home.
He maintained that the palace has always remained neutral in the state’s politics but has regards and concerns for candidate who has respect for the traditional institution, create jobs for the people so they could put food on their families’s tables and respect the masses.
The monarch suggested that to douse the political tension in the nation’s politics, a single term system should be encouraged noting that such would not only cut costs but also reduce the associated undue tension.
The Oba stated that having agreed on the single term system, there should also be a mechanism to remove such governors who fail to perform without resulting to any political tension.