Obaseki Redeploys Director After Oba Palace Incident

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has redeployed his Director of Protocol (DoP), Mr Osayande Aisagbon, to the Ministry of Culture and Diaspora Affairs.

Naija News reports that this is following an alleged embarrassment suffered by Gov. Obaseki during a visit to the Palace of Oba of Benin.

Obaseki had on July 25 visited the Benin monarch for royal blessings as part of his re-election campaign alongside the PDP’s National Campaign Chairman, Gov. Nyesom Wike but was unable to present kola nut and gin in line with the palace tradition for the royal blessing, NAN reports.

It was gathered that Obaseki was embarrassed when the monarch asked for the kola nut to offer prayers for the visitors to have a successful campaign but none could be provided.

A source in Government House Benin said: “The governor was embarrassed. it’s the responsibility of the protocol department to handle such an assignment, so somebody has to take responsibility.”

The governor in a memo ordered for the redeployment of the Aisagbon over the embarrassment.

In the same memo, the redeployed DoP was replaced with Mr Mosis Obakpolor, also a staff of the Ministry of Culture and Diaspora Affairs.

Recall that those who visited the Oba of Benin alongside Obaseki included Governors Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta; Aminu Tambuwal, Sokoto; Douye Diri, Bayelsa; Seyi Makinde, Oyo and Bala Mohammed, Bauchi State.

Other on the campaign team were, Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Agboola Ajayi, National Chairman of PDP, Uche Secondus, Chairman of DAAR Communications, Raymond Dokpesi, Chief Tom Ikimi, Sen. Clifford Ordia and Mr Ken Imasuagbon, among others.