Benin City, 2 October 2025 — The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has strongly condemned what it describes as a desecration of the Benin cultural order following the purported inauguration of market leadership positions by a non-Benin woman, an action which the Oba of Benin has publicly denounced as alien to the traditions of the kingdom.
In a statement sent to Truth Live News on Thursday evening by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Dan Osa-Ogbegie, the PDP expressed grave concern that such an affront to centuries-old market institutions was allowed to occur under the watch of Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration, with apparent complicity from officials attached to Government House. The party declared that every Edo son and daughter must resist any attempt to diminish the constitutional and customary authority of the Palace.
“The Oba of Benin is the living custodian of our heritage, our history, and our culture. Any act of disrespect to the Palace is an act of disrespect to every Edo man and woman,” the statement read. It further emphasised that market leadership in Benin follows a long-established tradition where Iyeki, or market heads, are chosen by market women and confirmed by the Palace, never imposed by external actors.
The party also faulted the notion of a so-called “general Iyeki,” describing it as a dangerous distortion of custom. In Benin, each market has its own Iyeki, with specific cultural and spiritual duties on behalf of the Oba, confined to that market alone. To suggest otherwise, the PDP warned, was to impose a foreign invention on sacred institutions.
Equally troubling to the party was the chanting of non-Edo songs and incantations during the event, which it described as sacrilegious and a violation of the dignity of the Palace and the people it represents. The PDP underscored the Oba’s earlier counsel that the Iyalọja concept is alien to Benin and must not be forced into its cultural framework.
The statement demanded an immediate and public apology from Governor Okpebholo’s office and any officials involved in staging the controversial event to the Oba and the Edo people. It also called for a reaffirmation of the Palace’s custodial authority over market institutions, a binding undertaking that no future appointments will take place without Palace consultation, and an independent review of the role played by the First Lady’s office and Government House protocol in the affair.
The PDP urged Edo citizens at home and abroad to stand firmly with the Palace in defence of their heritage, while emphasising that this resistance must remain peaceful and lawful. The party vowed to pursue every political and legal measure necessary to prevent the erosion of Edo traditions, warning that any government that treats the culture of the kingdom with contempt would face resolute civic resistance.
“We remain firm in our conviction that respect for the Oba and for our native customs is a non-negotiable foundation of civic life in Edo State,” the statement concluded.
Dan Osa-Ogbegie, Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State, signed the release.