Edo Decides: APC Buckles, Signs Peace Accord, As PDP Refuses To Sign

By Simeon OSAJIE

Less than two hours after it announced that it would not sign the Peace Accord initiated by the National Peace Accord Committee (NPAC), under the leadership of the former military Head of State, General Abdusalami Abubakar (Rtd), the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), eventually signed the agreement to pave the way for a peaceful governorship election in the state on September 21.

It would be recalled, the APC had early today during press briefing addressed by its State Chairman, Emperor Jaret Tenebe, said that 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 Anuh, one of the security details attached to the APC governorship candidate, senator Monday Okpebholo, on July 18, 2024, along Airport Road, Benin City.

But at the venue of the signing ceremony held at the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub, the APC, represented by Tenebe and governorship candidate, Senator Okpebholo, signed the Peace Accord agreement.

But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), maintained its hard stance on the matter and refused to sign the accord.

It would be recalled, Governor Godwin Obaseki had while receiving General Abubakar (Rtd) on Wednesday, stated that the PDP would not sign the accord because of the bias of the Police against the party.

The governor, who detailed the war of attrition the Police had waged against the PDP, especially the arrest of its members across the state, said that the party would not sign the peace accord because the Police which was expected to implement the agreement was already biased on the side of the APC.

The governor’s position was reinforced by the party’s State Chairman, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, who accused both the police and the umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), of bias.

At the signing ceremony, Dr. Aziegbemi and the PDP governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo of the PDP refused to sign the Peace Accord

The PDP in declining to sign the Peace  Accord, said that its action was based on alleged partisan dispositions of the Nigeria Police Force.

Speaking to journalists at the venue of the peace accord parley, chaired by the former military head of state, Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar (Rtd), the Edo State PDP Chairman Aziegbemi, said that despite the avalanches of incidence available in the public, the police had decided to be arresting his party members while those identified in the APC, were rooming the streets of Edo freely.

In his remarks 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.

He said that he expected the 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, accused the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, of being partisan especially with the arrest of some chieftains and members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

Recall that the Police boss had on Wednesday during a stakeholders’ meeting, organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for political parties and other stakeholders for the next week 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 generated reactions from members and supporters of the PDP later led to different agitations in Edo, demanding for neutrality of the peace in the election

Flowing from the development, women in the state in their large numbers staged a protest at the venue of the Peace Accord to register their displeasure over their perceived police partisanship in the build up to the election.

The women who chanted various solidarity songs and brandished placards with different inscriptions such as, “police are not contesting in the election,” credible election begins with us” demanded for the immediate redeployment of the commissioner of Police in the state, CP Nemi Edwin-Iwo.

The also called for the unconditional release of PDP members arrested and whisked away according to them in a gestapo-like-manner to Abuja by the police.

“Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, please leave our husbands alone, election is not a war”, they retorted