Ahead of the Edo State governorship election, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Asue Ighodalo, and the chairman of the party, Dr Tony Aziegbemi were the only ones out of the 18 political parties participating in next week’s election that refused to sign the peace accord organized by the Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar-led National Peace Committee, Wednesday.
The remaining 17 parties signed the peace accord.
Former Head of State, Abubakar, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and the Convener of the National Peace Committee (NPC), Bishop Matthew Kukah, among other eminent personalities witnessed the event, which took place at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub on Airport Road, Benin.
Though both Aziegbemi and Ighodalo were present at the venue from the beginning to the end, they refused to sign, in protest of the deployment of Dr. Anugbum Onuoha and Nemi Edwin-Iwo, who they claimed are known associates of the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike as the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) and the Commissioner of Police, respectively.
They said they were at the event to register their grievance before the peace committee over the arrest and detention of 10 of their members who they insist are deliberately being kept out of circulation until after the election.
Aziegbemi and Ighodalo initially moved to the podium, where the peace accord was being signed, but they gently protested to Bishop Kukah, who was coordinating the signing. They also moved to where Gen. Abubakar was seated and registered their grievance.
The former head of state later announced that the party chieftains had given some conditions, which they insisted must be met before they could sign the accord later in Abuja.
Relatedly, the leader of the PDP in Edo and the governor, Godwin Obaseki, had on Wednesday hinted that the party might not sign the peace accord because the police, according to him were acting in the interest of the All Progressives Congress.
The governor spoke when he received Gen. Abubakar, who was on a courtesy visit to the Government House.
Among those at the event were the former APC National Chairman, Senator Adams Oshiomhole. and the Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, who recently defected from the PDP to the APC.
In his remarks, Abubakar said the signing of the peace accord was an important commitment to uphold peace, unity, and democratic values.
By Dave Oludare Oso
