By David Torough with Agency report

Edo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday declined to sign the Peace Accord ahead of the Edo State governorship election slated for Sept. 21. citing lack of credibility in the electoral process.The Peace Accord midwifed by the National Peace Committee (NPC) was signed in Benin, Edo State by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other 16 parties.

APC had earlier promised not to sign the document but did a turn around yesterday. The signing of the peace accord nine days to the governorship election is a way of extracting commitment from parties to uphold the peace, unity, and democratic values of the nation.PDP Chairman Anthony Aziegbemi and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo were present but declined to sign.Aziegbemi told newsmen, “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 on Wednesday, during the stakeholders meeting said he was not aware that PDP members were in detention.In his opening remark, the NPC Chairman, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (Rtd) said since NPC’s formation in 2014, it had worked tirelessly to foster an environment where every Nigerian could exercise their constitutional right to vote without fear of violence or intimidation.He appealed to candidates, parties and their supporters to remember that peace is the foundation upon which progress and development are built and established.The General said, “Without it, none of the promises made to the people of Edo State can be fulfilled.”I encourage everyone to uphold this commitment beyond the elections and accept the outcome of the election.”Similarly, the Convener of NPC, Bishop Matthew Kukah charged the candidates to see peace as a foundation for a credible election.The bishop said 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’m happy that Nigerians have confidence in the electoral process. The worst election is remedied by another election.”The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu assured that INEC would continue to play its part in line with the electoral laws.He thanked the peace committee for bringing the political parties and their candidates together to agree to a peaceful election.The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, noted that the police in collaboration with other security agencies would support INEC to conduct the election.In his words, “We’ll remain impartial, professional and vigilant while providing a level playing ground for political parties and their candidates.”Governor Godwin Obaseki assured the Peace Committee of the safety of all stakeholders during and after the election.Obaseki, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Joseph Eboigbe expressed concern over the continuous detention of PDP members in Abuja.However, after the ceremony, the PDP in Edo State called on the Chairman of INEC to redeploy the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr Anugbum Onuoha over alleged ties with FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.Dr Anthony Aziegbemi, the state Chairman of PDP told newsmen in Benin that the party lacked confidence in the REC’s ability to conduct the election without bias.Aziegbemi alleged that the recruitment of the Supervising Presiding Officers (SPOs) for the election had been compromised.A protest letter to the INEC chairman, made available to newsmen during the press conference, reads: “It is with a deep sense of concern that we bring to the notice of your good office a very disturbing trend that may threaten the credibility of forthcoming Edo governorship election scheduled for September 21, 2024.“We believe that, as the umpire in the election, it is in the best interest of INEC to be made aware of unfolding issues and the need to act swiftly to restore the confidence of all parties.“The matter pertains to the close links between the serving Edo REC, Prof. Anugbum Onuoha and a known partisan opponent of Edo PDP, the former governor of Rivers State and Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike.“The ties between these two are too close to ignore as not only do they share familiarities but are also close associates. To be clear, the relationship between the two is outlined below:“The said Edo REC is a cousin to the Minister of the FCT, Mr. Wike. He also served as a Commissioner and Special Adviser for Lands, Survey and Housing to Mr Wike during his tenure as Rivers governor.“The antecedent between these two, we are not comfortable that the Edo REC will conduct himself creditably before, during and after the election,” he said.According to Aziegbemi, We are therefore requesting the redeployment of the Edo REC as we are not confident that he would be fair, just and equitable in the conduct of the election.He called on the INEC Chairman to investigate the recruitment of the SPOs, adding that most of them were recruited and given fake ministry identity cards.