The Oba of Benin, Omo N'Oba N'Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II, has commended the People's Redemption Party, PRP, for fielding a female candidate for the September 21 governorship election in Edo State.
Speaking when the party paid him a courtesy visit, the monarch said: "People's Redemption Party I thank you on behalf of our chiefs and the members of the Royal family present. We welcome you and members of your entourage.
"I am not sure I have seen any female gubernatorial candidate. Are you aware of any one? No! This is the only female gubernatorial candidate I have seen.
"I thank you very much for coming to the palace to introduce yourself. A female in our society is so patrimonial, in a male society, you dared to contest as the flag bearer of your party and they willingly chose you among all the men and women there. So, I commend the party for deeming it fit to pick you as their flag bearer, recognising the strength of a woman.
"I always believed that women must be recognised as important. Without women what will the men do?
"It is refreshing that a female is the gubernatorial candidate of the party. We hope that in this campaign process your presence will bring joy into the whole process. We thank you for bringing a refreshing atmosphere into the campaign," Oba added.
On why she visited the monarch with her entourage, the PRP Governorship Candidate, Ndidi Patience Ofure Key, said she is in the palace to request for the Royal Father's prayers and blessings.
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She said she is running for the governorship because of the retrogression, hunger and suffering in the state, and stressed that her focus is to work with the palace to move the state forward, if elected.
The PRP candidate assured that she would focus on three agenda - human capital development, diversification of the economy and transforming our environments, if elected.
"If you look at roads, schools and hospital infrastructure, we are nowhere. A lot of things are on paper but tangibly and productively we don't see them. So we need a good environment that would make business work for our people. Human beings are very important to us, even to God. We need to create skills for our youths, women and men to make them reliant," she posited.
Key said that Edo state is a wonderful and a great state and thanked the Oba for the good things he had been doing since he ascended the throne.
