The ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP in Edo State, on Thursday made good its threat not to sign the Peace Accord initiated by the National Peace Accord Committee (NPAC) headed by a former military Head of State and retired Army General, Abdusalami Abubakar, ahead of the September 21 governorship election in the state....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The major opposition party, the All-Progressives Congress, (APC) however made a volte face, signing the agreement despite its initial stance not to.
While the APC, had at a press conference earlier on Thursday morning addressed by its state chairman, Jarret Tenebe, said it was not disposed to signing the Peace Accord because of the failure of the police to arrest the suspects named in the killing of Inspector Akor Onuh, one of the security details attached to the APC governorship candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, on July 18, 2024, along Airport Road, Benin City, Governor Godwin Obaseki declared the PDP’s position on the peace accord when he hosted in his office, General Abubakar, who had visited him to intimate him of the purpose of his presence in the state.
Expressing his misgivings about signing the accord, Governor Obaseki told the former head of state how the police, allegedly from office of the Inspector General, Kayode Egbetokun, had been intimidating and indiscriminately arresting PDP members, and taken to Abuja, with warrants of arrest for about 60 others, thereby driving the leaders underground.
Complaining bitterly to Gen. Abubakar, Governor Obaseki said unlike 2020, “I’m very worried; very, very worried because from the developments and where we are today, the party, we met yesterday (Wednesday) and resolved that we are not likely to sign this agreement. The person who is supposed to enforce this peace accord is now an active participant in creating a destructive environment”.
The governor predicted that the election would be anything but peaceful. According to him, “what they are saying is it’s going to be a very violent election, and they are going to use the forces of cohesion and intimidation to win the elections in Edo whether we like it or not. That’s the message”.
The governor’s position amplified the earlier position of the state chairman of the party, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, who had accused both the police and the election umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of bias.
At the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub, venue of the accord signing ceremony, the PDP, true to its threat, shunned the exercise while the APC, represented by Tenebe, the state chairman, and the governorship candidate, Senator Okpebholo, signed.
Declining to sign the peace pact, the PDP attributed its action to alleged partisan disposition of the Nigeria Police Force.
Speaking to journalists at the venue of the event chaired by the former military head of state, Aziegbemi said despite the avalanche of evidences in public domain, the police had decided to be arresting his party members while those identified in the APC, were roaming the streets of Edo freely.
Speaking at the ceremony, General Abubakar noted that Governor Obaseki, had on Wednesday raised the issues of police bias and set out some conditions to be met by the police before PDP could sign the Peace Accord.
Abubakar, who obviously was not pleased with the development, said he expected Dr. Aziegbemi to have stated that before the committee and political parties, rather than his outright refusal to sign the accord.
The former Head of State, however, said that the PDP still had the opportunity of signing the peace accord by coming to Abuja to do so
Meanwhile, a group under the aegis of Edo Women for Peaceful and Credible Elections in the state, expressing solidarity with the PDP, accused the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, of being partisan, especially with the arrest of some chieftains and members of the ruling People’s Democratic Party in the state.
Recall that the Police boss had on Wednesday during a stakeholders’ meeting organised by the INEC for political parties and other stakeholders participating in next week’s governorship election in Edo, confirmed the arrest of Esan West Local Government Council Chairman, Collins Aigbogun and others over alleged criminal charges.
The development, which elicited reactions from members and supporters of the PDP, later led to different agitations in the state, with demands for police neutrality in order for peace to reign during the election.
Consequently, the protesting women, who thronged the venue of the Peace Accord in their large numbers to register their displeasure over alleged police partisanship in the buildup to the election, demanded for the immediate redeployment of the commissioner of Police in the state, Nemi Edwin-Iwo.
Chanting various solidarity songs and brandishing placards with different inscriptions such as, “police are not contesting in the election; credible election begins with us”, also called for the unconditional release of PDP members arrested and whisked away to Abuja, according to them, “in a gestapo-like-manner”.
“Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, please leave our husbands alone; election is not a war”, they chorused.