Two days after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) refused to sign Peace Accord for the Edo governorship election, Governor Godwin Obaseki has described the September 21 exercise as a do or die.
During a visit by Abdulsalami Abubakar, former military Head of State and Chairman, National Peace Committee, Obaseki had alleged that police who are expected to enforce the peace accord were working for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Obaseki claimed that the police force has detained 10 PDP members, including an LGA chairman, without sufficient evidence or valid cases against them.
“You are very conversant with the politics of Edo State. You were here in 2020, and we had a very heated election. You know this is an off-cycle election, and there is a lot of attention,” he said.
“Unlike 2020, I am very worried about the developments in the state today. The party met yesterday, and we may not sign this agreement.
“This is the first time we are witnessing that the entity supposed to maintain and enforce the peace accord is now actively creating a destructive environment.
“The opposition party in the state, the APC, has always argued that they may not be as popular and didn’t win in the last election, but they have promised to use federal power to determine the outcome of this election.
“We thought it was just rhetoric, but in the last four weeks, we’ve had a situation where from the office of the IGP, armed police gangs have entered Edo state to invade, arrest, and take away PDP members.”
Speaking in Oredo Local Government Area, where the PDP held the grand finale of its governorship campaign, Obaseki said, “The person I took over from had no respect for our people, had no respect for women, encouraged prostitution and women’s trafficking.
“When I took over office, our pensioners wore black on Labour Day, but today they wear white. When I took office, our youths had no jobs, but today don’t they have jobs? After eight years, is Edo not one of the safest in Nigeria?
“This election is a do or die. Do you want insecurity? Do you want people that didn’t go to school to lead us? Next Saturday is the election, you will vote for PDP and our next governor is Asue Ighodalo.”
Earlier, Obaseki welcomed top APC chieftains led by Vice President Kashim Shettima, to the state.
Among the ruling party members who were in Edo for the grand finale of Senator Monday Okpebholo’s campaign were Senate President Godswill Akpabio; Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, APC National Chairman; and governors elected on the platform of the APC, lawmakers, among others.