A peace accord has been signed by 17 out of the 18 political parties who are competing in the September 21 Edo governorship election.
Despite being there for the signing of the peace accord, PDP Chairman Anthony Aziegbemi and candidate Asue Ighodalo declined to sign.
Aziegbemi informed reporters that they were declining due to the police detention of 10 party members in Abuja.
According to him, “We are here to register our protest before the peace committee and to say that the PDP will not sign a peace accord when 10 of our members have been arrested and detained by the Police in Abuja.”
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, during the stakeholders meeting on Wednesday, stated that he was oblivious of the arrest of PDP members in the state.
“However, I am aware that individuals who committed crimes and political violence in the state have been arrested, ” Egbetokun said.
Bishop Matthew Kukah, the Convener of the National Peace Committee, urged the candidates to consider peace as a key element in a credible election.
Kukah said that the task before the committee was to support the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to ensure a peaceful election devoid of violence.
He said: “We should be thankful for our country because some other African countries are in crisis because of unresolved political issues.
Let us thank God that we have the opportunity in Nigeria to stretch our hands in search of justice.
I am happy that Nigerians have confidence in the electoral process. The worst election is remedied by another election.”
Despite the party’s initial refusal, Senator Monday Okpebholo, who is running for the Edo Governorship election, has signed the Peace Accord.
The APC stated earlier that it won’t sign the peace accord because of the unsolved murder of Onuh Akor, who worked as a police inspector for Okpebholo’s campaign team. The party accused the state government of shielding the perpetrators and failing to bring them to justice.
Okpebholo has now signed the peace accord, which is designed to enhance the peaceful and harmonious electoral process between competing political parties before the September 21 governorship election.
The move comes after Governor Godwin Obaseki’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) threatened not to sign the agreement, citing a lack of trust in the police and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Read More
