Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, who also serves as the party’s head, has hinted that the PDP might decide not to sign the peace accord today.
According to the governor, the police, who are in charge of upholding the agreement, have demonstrated by their deeds that they are fighting the PDP and acting in the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) best interests.
Ahead of the Peace Accord’s signature on September 12, 2024, Obaseki spoke as he welcomed Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, the former Military Head of State and Chairman of the National Peace Committee (NPC), to the Government House in Benin City, the capital of Edo State.
In the meantime, Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi, the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, expressed concern about the appointment of close aides to former Rivers State governor and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister Nyesom Wike to serve as the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the Independent National Electoral Commission and Edo Commissioner of Police in the run-up to the election.
In a statement he personally signed on September 10, the governor stated that the actions performed by the Police have demonstrated their bias ever since the State’s electioneering process began.
When the governor met with Abubakar in Benin City, he expressed concern that the APC-manipulated police had detained ten PDP leaders who they believed would pose a serious political threat to them in the upcoming election. Among them was Hon. Collins Aigbogun, the current chairman of the Esan West Local Government Area, who had been detained and taken to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Obaseki thus questioned how one could sign a peace agreement with an umpire who has demonstrated bias in favour of one of the political parties from the beginning.
Similar to this, the State Government has stated that since the Edo Security Corps was established by the Edo State House of Assembly, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, is not authorised by the Constitution to suspend it.
The Inspector General Police (IGP) declared that the organisation had been suspended in advance of the gubernatorial election during yesterday’s INEC Stakeholders’ Meeting.
But, in a statement, Osagie said, “The Edo State government insists that the ESC is a body set up by law passed by the Edo State House of Assembly.
“This is tantamount to the IGP disbanding the Western Nigeria Security Network popularly known as Operation Amotekun ahead of the governorship election in Ondo State billed for next month.”
However, he said, the governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, ordered that all ESC officials take a leave of absence from now until September 23rd, the day after the election, in the sake of maintaining calm in the state.
