AS Nigerians look forward to 2019 elections, the Ayangburen of Ikoroduland, Oba Kabiru Shotobi, on Sunday enjoined Nigerians politicians to shun politics of bitterness and ensure they play the game as being witnessed in the best environment around the world, warning that the citizens had no other country to call their own.
Oba Shotobi also charged them to do away with money-bag politics and instead work for the benefit of mankind.
The monarch made this call while giving a royal blessing to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Lagos East Senatorial District, Princess Abiodun Oyefusi, who was on a visit to his palace in Ikorodu, accompanied by party leaders and members, including the PDP zonal chairman, Mr Taiwo Benedict.
Oba Shotobi, who expressed appreciation for the visit by the candidate, the party leaders and members as well as supporters, contended that politics should not be played with bitterness, but should be open and see like what they were doing all over the world, citing the recently concluded mid-term elections held in the United States without recording any crisis or violence.
“Politics should not be with bitterness. Politics should be open and politics should be seen like this is what they are doing all over the world,” the monarch said.
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“If they can do their mid-term election in the US recently and nobody hears of any crisis, no violence, it was done, we know which party won the House of Reps and senatorial seats, we know what happened between the Democrats and the Republicans,” he recalled, querying: “So is it not going to be different in Nigeria?”
He, therefore, impressed on Nigerian politicians to ensure the best practice as obtained in a democratic society, warning that Nigerians don’t have any other country they can call their own and also would not want any form of mediation from the international community.
This was just as he urged that winners of elections should have the courage to thank the people for support and the losers should be courageous enough to accept defeat, declaring that politics should not be seen as a do-or-die affair.
“So we impress on you these people to see that happen, we don’t have another country than Nigeria. Don’t allow any international community to come and meditate, alright.
“So it’s not going to be a do-or-die affair, whoever wins should have the courage to thank the people and whoever wins on the other side should have the courage to accept defeat, may God be with all of you. I want to congratulate and pray for all of you,” the oba said.
Oba Shotobi, who described the PDP candidate, Princess Oyefusi, as “one of the daughters of the palace, congratulated the PDP and its leadership “for presenting my daughter to me to bless and congratulate her and bless her.”
The oba, while looking at the array of people at the gathering drawn from across the senatorial district, said he could he could see the countenance of seriousness in their support for their candidate, adding: “I want you all to keep it up and God will be with you all.”
Responding, Oyefusi thanked the kabiyesi, who she described as her father, saying that she had come to tell Oba Shotobi that PDP had in its wisdom picked her as its candidate for Lagos East Senatorial District and not just accept the position without the monarch endorsing it as “head of the household.”
“And today he has given his blessing and his acceptance and I want to say thank you very, very much. I m extremely grateful and I want to assure people of Ikorodu and everyone here that you know my father and am father’s daughter and he thought me a lot of things.
“The way daddy built this town to where it is today, I can assure you that I am going to do better than he did. It is my responsibility and obligation to build on what he had built in this town as well as in the nation in general. I will make all proud, and I will make him proud,” she said.