Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) might not sign the Peace Accord.
Obaseki thinks the police, who should enforce peace, are helping the All Progressives Congress (APC) and going against the PDP.
The governor said this when he met General Abdulsalam Abubakar, the Chairman of the National Peace Committee (NPC). Abubakar visited the Government House in Benin City, Edo State, before the Peace Accord signing on September 12, 2024.
Obaseki signed a statement on September 10. He said since the election campaign started, the police have shown they are not fair.
In Benin City, the governor told Abubakar his concerns. He said the police, influenced by the APC, have arrested at least 10 PDP leaders. This includes Hon. Collins Aigbogun, Chairman of Esan West Local Government Area, who was taken to Abuja.
When Obaseki heard about Aigbogun’s arrest, he called the Edo State Commissioner of Police. He asked for the situation to be handled in the state.
The police ignored this, which undermined Obaseki’s authority as Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the state.
Obaseki also said the PDP chairman sent two complaints to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) about the harassment of party leaders, but nothing was done.
Obaseki wondered how they could sign a peace deal with a biased enforcer. He asked for the immediate release of the arrested PDP leaders, saying they should be charged in Benin City if they did anything wrong.
According to him, “This is very worrying. You know about Edo State politics. You were here in 2020, which was a tough election. This current situation is different and concerning. Our party might not sign the agreement. It’s the first time the peace enforcer is part of creating problems.”
Meanwhile, the PDP State Chairman, Anthony Aziegbemi, is worried. Before the September 21 governorship election, people connected to the former Governor of Rivers State and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, are being assigned to key positions. One is the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state. Another is the Edo Commissioner of Police.