Ekong disclosed this during an interview on Arise TV on Monday.
The Lagos State Labour Party chairperson, Dayo Ekong says the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi contacted the Oba of Lagos ahead of the #ObidattiInLagos rally in the state on Saturday but the palace turned him down.
Ekong disclosed this during an interview on Arise TV on Monday.
She was responding to the criticisms that Obi has faced in some quarters for not visiting the monarch, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, during his campaign rally in the state.
Ekong said, “People should not say what they have no information about. Peter Obi respects culture. He visits traditional rulers in every state before going to campaign.
“In Lagos, he made attempts to see the Oba but was denied access. He wrote to the palace but the palace responded that the Oba was not available to receive him. He cannot then drive to the palace when he’s been told that the Oba is not available.”
In 2015, Oba Akiolu threatened the Igbo community in Lagos with death if they voted for the then Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Jimi Agbaje.
He insisted that Igbo residents in the state should cast their votes for the governorship candidate of then APC governorship candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode, or “perish inside the lagoon”.
Although Nigeria runs a presidential system, it still retains monarchs of the various ethnic groups that make up the country.
The traditional rulers no longer exercise sovereignty but only ceremonial powers.
However, they remain a potent moral force with grassroots validity among their subjects.