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Kings are imbued with “wisdom” such as that possessed by King Solomon, which God granted to him at his request as he ascended the throne of his father, King David, and which he displayed by settling the claims of the same child by two women, “both had recently given birth, but one child was dead,” a story told in the Old Testament (I Kings 3:16-28).
According to nationalgallery.org.uk, Solomon announced that the baby would be cut in two, so that each mother would have half. While the other accepted the proposal, the real mother, unable to bear that her son was killed, immediately offered him to the other woman, to save his life. The false mother was thus exposed and Solomon returned the child alive to his true mother.
The Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Ukuakpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, was in need of biblical “Solomonic wisdom” – a level of sagacity, fairness and deep understanding of human nature – when he recently received the leadership of the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Royal Palace in the center of Benin City, the capital.
Benin Kingdom straddles Edo South Senatorial District in Edo State where, initially, a battle is underway between two-time governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, and former MP Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama for the winner of the May 18, 2026 APC primaries for the February 16, 2027 National Assembly elections.
As reported by Daily Post Nigeria on May 18, 2026, while the Chairman of the APC Primary Elections Committee, Mohammad Ajana, declared Ogbeide-Ihama the winner of the poll with 27,154 votes, Senator Neda Imasuen (APC, Edo South) secured 13,580 votes and Ize-Iyamu secured 6,785 votes; the polling chief, Abubakar Muhammad Kabiru, declared Ize-Iyamu the winner with 33,399 votes, Ogbeide-Ihama with 12,560 votes and Imasuen with 5,107 votes.
Ize-Iyamu, elated with the result, reportedly expressed gratitude to his supporters, saying “the victory marks a significant step” as he prepares to represent the APC in the senatorial district, and assured of better representation “after the next round of victories” in the January-February 2027 general elections.
However, weeks after the primaries, a third result emerged, tabled by Senator Imasuen, further muddying the political waters in Edo South. According to The Nation report dated June 6, 2026, Imasuen claims to have polled 33,700 votes to emerge the winner, and the result “has also been presented to the national leadership of the APC,” although Imasuen is said to have urged his supporters to be patient.
“I am telling my supporters to be patient until the National Working Committee (APC) takes a stand on this matter. It is clear that no result will be announced until the NWC declares the result,” Imasuen said, adding: “Any result that is not authentic. They are not election results. The result will be released by the NWC. Until that is done, I have asked all of us to be patient.”
These contradictory claims have polarized and heated up the political system in Edo South, pitting the people – who represent about 55% of the votes in Edo State – against Governor Monday Okpebholo and the APC for alleged attempts to “impose” Ogbeide-Ihama due to external influences.
Amid escalating exchanges between the people of Edo South and the Okpebholo government, leaders of the Edo APC visited the Oba of Benin two weeks ago, to introduce Ogbeide-Ihama as the “party candidate for Edo South” and seek blessings for him, Abuja Times News reported on May 23, 2026.
The powerful delegation, led by Edo State Deputy Governor, Dennis Idahosa, included former Deputy Governor Pius Odubu, former Deputy Governor Lucky Imasuen, APC State Chairman Emperor Jarrett Tenebe, APC State Secretary Lawrence Okah, former Senator Matthew Urhoghide, General Charles Airhiavbere (Retd), former Commissioner for Education and House of Representatives hopeful, Dr Paddy Iyamu, Charity Aimanyanvbo and Felix Osazee Igbinovia.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Dr Odubu explained that the visit was to formally inform the Oba of the outcome of the primaries and seek his paternal blessing for Ogbeide-Ihama, who he said got the highest votes in the primaries, and received a “result sheet” from the electoral officer, Mohammed Ajana.
Presenting the “result sheet” issued to him, Ogbeide-Ihama, describing Oba Ewuare II as “a father figure whose blessings will be invaluable to my political journey”, said the primaries were held “in line with the constitution, guidelines and procedures of the APC” and that party members “freely exercised their right to vote” during the poll.
Later, Ogbeide-Ihama noted: “Today, the party leadership at the state level formally introduced me to my father, our father, His Royal Majesty. They also gave me the opportunity to show him the result declared by the committee sent by the national headquarters to conduct the primaries. What we await now is the same process expected by aspirants in the 109 senatorial districts of the country, which usually concludes at the party’s national headquarters.”
The question: In light of the unresolved issue of “winner” of the primaries, why did APC leaders introduce Ogbeide-Ihama and solicit blessings for him from Oba Ewuare II? Couldn’t they have waited for the Certificate of Return to be issued to the “candidate” before the visit to the palace? Was the intent to impose a fait accompli on the calculating, measured, perceptive and revered King not at face value, but for irrefutable facts and evidence?
Is it any wonder that Omo N’Oba, after the visitors recounted their mission, applied “Solomonic wisdom” and jokingly asked whether the primary “result sheet” had been generated by “Artificial Intelligence (AI)”? To which APC Chairman Tenebe and Mr. Imasuen responded in the negative, “affirming the authenticity of the document!”
While the Oba’s question reportedly “elicited laughter from palace leaders and members of the APC delegation,” the import cuts both ways in the stalemate over the primaries in Edo South, as Ogbeide-Ihama, supported by the APC leadership in Edo, showed the “result sheet” issued to him by the primary election committee.
Where in the mix are Pastor Ize-Iyamu and Senator Imasuen, who claim to have won the primaries with higher figures than Ogbeide-Ihama? It will be appropriate for them to visit the Royal Palace and present themselves and their “result sheets” to Oba Ewuare II for examination and also blessings!
Using Naija jargon, the Omo N’Oba “wants to see something” because – as one of the two women who appeared before King Solomon and falsely claimed motherhood of a child that was not his – two of Ogbeide-Ihama, Ize-Iyamu and Imasuen lied about winning the May 18, 2026 primaries for Edo South!
Nonetheless, the Obas, who later prayed for Ogbeide-Ihama and asked palace leaders to remember him in their prayers, thanked the visitors for the courtesy visit and urged “politicians and their supporters to conduct their activities in a peaceful manner”, as violence should have no place in Edo’s political landscape.
He appealed to aggrieved members of the APC to “embrace reconciliation and work together for the progress of Edo South and Edo State”, stressing that peace and unity remain indispensable for development and that “there is a time for everything”, as “God’s time remains the best” and “political actors should be patient and trust in divine providence”.
Truth be told: Three weeks after the APC National and State Assembly primaries from May 16 to 21, 2026, aspirants in Edo South and many others across Nigeria are unsure of their fate, which appears sealed by the party’s directive whose results could only be declared from the national headquarters in Abuja.
While the aggrieved aspirants lamented their “suspended” fortunes, an appeal by the national president, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, for the party not to ignore grievances arising from the primaries in some states, did not assuage the feelings of the complainants.
As APC leaders did not apply “Solomonic wisdom” to handle the primaries and their immediate aftermath, the political dagger opened, resulting in the “exodus” of “primary losers” from the APC in several states, as predicted by the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC).
It is incumbent on the ruling APC to stem the flow of defections from its platform by collecting the “authentic results” of its primaries, declaring the returns and accordingly issuing performance certificates to the winners!
To quote the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, “Only candidates who have duly won the elections should be awarded performance certificates.” The APC should adopt and support this standard!
• Mr Ezomon, a journalist and media consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria. He can be reached on X, Threads, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp @EhichioyaEzomon. Tel: 08033078357.
