APC opts out of Edo governorship election peace accord

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it was not disposed to signing the peace accord between contending political parties ahead of the September 21 Edo State governorship election.

The APC action is coming hours before the signing of the Peace Accord in Edo State.

This APC position also come barely 12 hours after Governor Godwin Obaseki, while receiving the Chairman of the Presidential Peace Committee, former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) might not sign the peace accord because the party had lost faith in the police and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Addressing a press conference at the APC secretariat in Edo State, Emperor Jarret Tenebe said the reasons for their declining to sign among others was that for over two months after a police inspector Onuh Akor who was the orderly to the candidate of the party, Sen Monday Okpebholo was shot and killed along Airport Road, nobody has been arrested and prosecuted, despite claims by the former Commissioner of Police, Funsho who “told Nigerians that the command had the names of those who murdered Inspector Onuh Akor at the Benin airport.”

He said instead of them being arrested, Governor Godwin Obaseki was allegedly keeping them in the government house.

Tenebe said, “This failure of the police has emboldened the state Governor, Godwin Obaseki and his Peoples Democratic Party to attack members of our political party at rally grounds and in their private business premises ceaselessly.”

He claimed that the governor had made inflammatory statements that have undermined his position as the Chief Security Officer of the State.

He chronicled the various attacks the APC campaign team had suffered in different communities in the Akoko-Edo, Etsako Central, Esan West local government area while mobilising supporters for the election.

“In the wake of this very worrisome and dangerous trend, Governor Obaseki kept mute and refused to condemn the attacks as the Chief Security Officer of the state. Instead, one Odion Olaye, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Edo State, while in the company with Obaseki, openly threatened the country that, “Nigeria will burn if INEC fails to declare the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo as the winner of the September 21, 2024 gubernatorial election.”

He mentioned several other chieftains of the PDP who he alleged had publicly boasted that they would do anything and go away with it and that the party’s petition to the police about these incidents with the names of suspects attached had not been treated.

He said “The summary of these episodes is the unwillingness of Obaseki to embrace peace and the refusal of the security agencies to guarantee a peaceful environment for the conduct of September 21st, 2024 scheduled election.”

As part of its demand to sign the peace accord, Tenebe said the police should be seen to taking steps to declaring those fingered in the killing of the policeman and allegedly being hidden in government house wanted.