The Edo State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) says it has boycotted the peace accord signing ceremony organized by the National Peace Committee, led by former Head of State, retired Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, ahead of the September 21 governorship election.
Although they attended the ceremony at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub in Benin City, the PDP’s Edo State chairman, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, and the party’s governorship candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, declined to sign the peace accord.
The accord aims to promote a peaceful and harmonious electoral process among all political parties involved.
The ceremony, attended by prominent figures including former Head of State, Gen. Abubakar, Inspector-General of Police Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and Bishop Matthew Kukah, saw the PDP leaders initially approach the podium at 12:25 p.m. to sign.
However, they protested to Bishop Kukah, who was overseeing the signing, and then repeated their protest to Gen. Abubakar, ultimately deciding not to participate.
Later, the chairman of the national peace committee announced that Aziegbemi and Ighodalo had provided some undisclosed conditions, which they insisted on meeting before they would travel to Abuja to sign the peace accord.
Meanwhile, in a last-minute move, the All Progressives Congress (APC) also pulled out of the Peace Accord signing ceremony.
The party made the announcement less than two hours before the event was scheduled to take place.
Emperor Jarret Tenebe, speaking at a media briefing at the party secretariat, revealed that the APC’s withdrawal from the peace accord signing was motivated by multiple factors.
He specifically cited the authorities’ failure to capture and bring to justice those responsible for the murder of Police Inspector Onuh Akor, the orderly who worked for their gubernatorial candidate, Sen. Monday Okpebholo.
Persecondnews recalls that Gov. Godwin Obaseki, the Edo State PDP leader, expressed reservations on Wednesday about the party signing the peace accord on Thursday, September 12, citing the police’s apparent bias towards the APC and alleged harassment of PDP members, which he believed undermined the accord’s credibility and effectiveness.
Obaseki made the remarks during a meeting with Abubakar, who paid a courtesy visit to the Government House in Benin, ahead of the peace accord signing ceremony.
Aziegbemi also expressed concern over the deployment of individuals with close ties to former Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike to key positions in Edo State ahead of the September 21 governorship election.
Specifically, he objected to the appointments of Dr. Anugbum Onuoha as INEC’s resident Electoral Commissioner and Mr. Nemi Edwin-Iwo as the state’s commissioner of Police, citing potential partisan bias.
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